As someone who greatly enjoys birds (although I don't classify myself as a capital-B Birder),I have really mixed feelings about this search for an undeniably spectacular bird. Last year, when a snowy owl (not a particularly rare bird, but rare in Maryland) made its appearance in a farm field about an hour north of Washington, DC, birders forgot both manners and good sense in their quest to see this relatively easy-to-see visitor. Annoyed the residents, scared the bird.

While it would delight my heart to know that there are still ivory-billed woodpeckers on the planet, at the same time I cringe at the thought that the search team may actually find them -- and that the hordes will descend, trying to lure the birds with taped calls, trampling the vegetation ..... All too often, the quest for a Life Bird causes the birding ethics espoused by the American Birding Association to fly right out the window.