Proof

One frustrating thing about bird watching is that sharing your experience often depends solely on your good word. My friend Sharon Stiteler enjoys scrutinizing my sightings...which quickly turns my proud storytelling into weak muttering of: "No, I really, really did..."

Cameras alter the equation. One benefit of WINGSCAPE's new camera will be that it makes verifyinfg (and sharing) your sightings far easier. The hunt for the Ivory-Billed Woodpecker is clearly a lesson in the importance (and difficulty) of obtaining photographic evidence of sightings.

When I mentioned to Sharon that the cardinals in my backyard often visited the peanut feeder, even though sunflower hearts were close by and readily available, she looked at me sideways. Now all I need to do is show the photo taken this morning...

The steady breeze (not hair gel) is responsible for his accentuated tuft. As they say, a bird picture is worth a thousand bird stories.