Why do these poor Ornithologists have so much problem taking a picture?

[astro]

Researchers See Rare Ivory-Billed Woodpecker in Florida Swamps but Fail to Get Photo

Come on guys. It’s not that hard just point and shoot. You can record calls, find feeding sites… but no pics?

This may help
Essential Skills for Nature Photography

Auburn ornithologist Geoffrey Hill headed the four-month Florida search that ended in April. He said his team would return to the Choctawhatchee River basin sometime around November with better equipment to try to get photographs.

“On 41 occasions different team members have seen the bird. We heard that double knock, it’s a sound the ivory-billed makes that no other bird makes, but we didn’t get a clear video of the bird,” Hill said.

“I think people should be skeptical. I think they should demand clear photographic evidence. I might start to get skeptical myself thinking, ‘I’ve seen this bird,’ but how could I have seen a bird that it is impossible to photograph,” he said.

[John_DiFool]

Do ivory-billed woodpeckers still exist?

[Colibri]

@astro

Come on guys. It’s not that hard just point and shoot. You can record calls, find feeding sites… but no pics?

You ever try to take a picture of a bird? They often don’t hold still for very long, and unless you are extremely close, even a bird the size of an Ivorybill doesn’t show up very well. I speak from experience.

[astro]

@Colibri

You ever try to take a picture of a bird? They often don’t hold still for very long, and unless you are extremely close, even a bird the size of an Ivorybill doesn’t show up very well. I speak from experience.

Yeah but you do hummingbirds. A big 'ol Ivory Bill should be a piece of cake for you hummingbird guys. This bird is almost 2 feet long with a 3 foot wingspan… and it’s noisy!

Look Pileated vs Ivory Bill … it’s easy to ID the right one the Ivory Bill has racing stripes. Stop confusing them, you guys need to get these classifications straight.

[Colibri]

@astro

Yeah but you do hummingbirds.

Actually, hummingbirds aren’t that hard. They often come back to the same perch all the time, or visit the same feeder repeatedly. You can set up your camera on a tripod and focus on the spot where you know they will return. It’s a different ball game when you are trying to snap a picture of an extremely wary bird, possibly hundreds of yards away, in dense woodland or swamp.