Sunday, January 23, 2011

Bad Photo I.D. Challenge (now with hints!)

Because nobody has been willing to try this out, I'll give some hints and see if anyone gets brave enough to give it a go!


Welcome to my first photo I.D. challenge of 2011.  Play not just to test your i.d. skills, but play to win! Whoever is the first to get all of these right, or whoever gets the most correct answers in the next week will win The North American Bird Reference Book, version 5.0 (on CD for your computer) by John C. Robinson, a $64.95 value!

These photos were taken in several states including Idaho, Utah, North Carolina, and Virginia, so good luck! If you had The North American Bird Reference Book, you'd be able to narrow down the possibilities for each bird.

Blurred in Flight
1.  Photographed in Boise, Idaho near wild sunflowers

2.  Photographed at the same time as the photo above

3.  Photographed in the backyard of a North Carolina home

4.  Photographed in Deltaville, Virginia

5.  Photographed recently in Bountiful, Utah

Butt Shots
6.  Photographed in Boise, Idaho, but don't let that throw ya!
This was a vagrant in the middle of winter.

7.  Photographed in the same North Carolina backyard as #3

Contorted
8.  Photographed at a pond in Eagle, Idaho.
Close-Up
9.  Photographed in Boise, Idaho.

10.  Photographed in the foothills of Boise, Idaho.

HINT:  Regular followers of this blog will have a slight advantage as they may recall similar, but better photos of the same birds, and recognize the setting.  If you are new to this blog, you've got a lot of catch-up work to do...well at least scanning through my blog posts going back until last summer.

14 comments:

  1. OK, I'll take a stab at it:
    1. Lesser Goldfinch
    2. Pine Siskin
    3. Carolina Wren
    4. ?? Fish Crow ??
    5. Mountain Chickadee
    6. N.Parula
    7. Tufted Titmouse (if not-
    Carolina Chickadee)
    8. Am. Wigeon
    9. Wild Turkey
    10.Great-horned Owl
    Hap in New Hope (MN)

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  2. @Hap in New Hope (MN) has 9 of the 10 correct!!!

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  3. I tried not to peek at the other guesses.

    1. ?
    2. siskin?
    3. Carolina wren
    4.???
    5. Mountain chickadee
    6. yellow-breasted chat?
    7. tufted titmouse
    8. Gadwall
    9. Turkey
    10 Great horned owl breast?

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  4. @Kathiesbirds - you got 6 out of 10 right! Thanks for playing!

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  5. Only caught a glimpse of the above guesses....honest! I've spent hours going through your blog and my Audubon field guide! I'm in the UK, but would still like to have a go.....
    1. Lesser Goldfinch.
    2. Pine Siskin.
    3. Carolina Wren.
    4. Western Scrub Jays.
    5. Mountain Chickadee.
    6. Yellow Throate Warbler.
    7. Tufted Titmouse.
    8. American Wigeon.
    9. Turkey.
    10.Great Horned Owl.

    Fingers crossed! Lisa - UK

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  6. I think #4 might be 2 Starlings.
    Hap in New Hope (MN)

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  7. @Lisa - UK: How cool is that? a UK birder taking on some North American bird photos, and bad ones at that?! You spent hours going thru my blog? Thanks! You might want to see a specialist about some issues you seem to have. ;-) You did get 8 of 10 right!

    @Hap - #4 is kinda tricky - I didn't think it would be the hardest, but turns out that it is.

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  8. 1. Lesser Goldfinch
    2. Pine Siskin
    3. Carolina Wren
    4. American Crow (11/10/10 Thanks eBird!!)
    5. Mountain Chickadee
    6. Northern Parula
    7. Tufted Titmouse
    8. American Wigeon
    9. Wild Turkey
    10.Great Horned Owl

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  9. @Zeke - clever using eBird! You've got the right date, even the right checklist, but still....

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  10. 1. Lesser Goldfinch
    2. Pine Siskin
    3. Carolina Wren
    4. Common Raven (Should have gone with my gut on this one the first time. Bill is to massive to be a crow)
    5. Mountain Chickadee
    6. Northern Parula
    7. Tufted Titmouse
    8. American Wigeon
    9. Wild Turkey
    10.Great Horned Owl

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  11. @Zeke - you are on the right track looking at the bill size. The photo is deceiving as the birds are pretty big in real life.

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  12. OK, let's go with:
    4.Wild Turkey
    Hap in New Hope (MN)

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  13. Oh bother! Can I have another shot?....
    1. Lesser Goldfinch.
    2. Pine Siskin.
    3. Carolina Wren.
    4. Common Crow.
    5. Mountain Chickadee.
    6. Northern Parula.
    7. Tufted Titmouse.
    8. American Wigeon.
    9. Turkey.
    10.Great Horned Owl.
    Lisa - UK

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  14. @Lisa - thanks again for trying. You got 9 of 10 right.

    @Hap - CONGRATULATIONS! You got...number 4 is a pair of Wild Turkeys. Please click on the blue "Email Birding is Fun" on the sidebar and send me an email with your mailing address so I can put the CD of the North American Bird Reference Guide in the mail to you.

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