bit of fun . . .? . . .

[timwootton]

Just to pre-empt Matt's suggestion of posting his WORST EVER photographs, I decided to post my BEST EVER photographs (therefore proving why I draw, rather than photograph, my subjects). Just to make it a bit more fun - there will be a tiny prize of an original drawing of one of the subjects shown for the first person to correctly identify all five species (NB - NOT ALLOWING FOR SECOND GUESSES!).
I won't be staying awake - so I'll just have to check tomorrow sometime for the winner.
Good luck.

[bitterntwisted]

Off the top of my head,... Lesser Black-backed Gull, Cuckoo, Common Gulls, juv Stonechat, Short-eared Owl

If I posted my photos you would have a real challenge.

[timwootton]

Unlucky Graham - that's your chance gone (like it matters anyway).
If you ask nicely, I'll send you something as the first to reply.

[Lisa W]

If I'd known that I would have guessed!

[Microtus]

Oh, why not?

1. Great Black-backed Gull
2. Common Cuckoo
3. Common Gull and Bar-tailed Godwit
4. European Robin
5. Short-eared Owl

[timwootton]

OOps - no, close-ish though. I'm off to bed.
Night.

[WiseOwl]

My guess....and i mean guess are these...

Lesser back-back
Cuckoo
Blk-headed gulls
Stonechat
Short-eared owl

[Microtus]

I'm eagerly waiting to find out what these birds are.

[Peewit]

Here we go beginners luck here.

Going off the straight and narrow here (different answers to others)

Lesser Black Backed Gull
Woodpigeon (bold white patch in wing)
Common Gulls
Starling (iridescent look)
Tawny Owl

Peewit

[eagle33]

ok better change it slightly
1 lesser black-backed gull
2 cuckoo
3 herring gull
4 stonechat
5 short-eared owl.

craig

[nickderry]

Ok, let's try
Great Black-backed Gull
Cuckoo
Common Gull (on left but on right looks like BH Gull)
Juv Stonechat
Short-eared Owl (plus a fence I seem to recognise from an excellent painting of this bird)

those are my guesses anyway.

[Jane Turner]

LBBG, Cuckoo, Common Gull and Bar-tailed Godwit, Stonechat, Short-eared Owl


though I did seriously consider LB Dowitcher!

[timwootton]

We haven't QUITE got a winner yet. If no-one gets them all correctly before 1pm, I'll post a MAJOR clue.

[matt green]

We haven't QUITE got a winner yet. If no-one gets them all correctly before 1pm, I'll post a MAJOR clue.

Great thread Tim, I'll have a go!!

(1) Oystercatcher
(2) Oystercatcher
(3) Oystercatcher
(4) Oystercatcher
(5) Dunlin

Matt;)

[Dave B]

We haven't QUITE got a winner yet. If no-one gets them all correctly before 1pm, I'll post a MAJOR clue.


Not quite sure what time it is in your part of the world, but, because i'd LOVE a Wootton original to join my Ed Keeble original, here's my guess:

1. LBB Gull
2. (Eurasian) Cuckoo
3. Common Gull & ... this is the really tricky one ... a leucistic Oystercatcher???
4. Stonechat
5. Short-eared Owl

Anyone who gets #3 deserves to win I reckon!

Dave

[Andrew Whitehouse]

1. Kittiwake
2. Cuckoo
3. Common Gull
4. Stonechat
5. Short-eared Owl

[timwootton]

ARGHh - this is gut-wrenchingly close!!! Okay - no-one has it quite right and I'm wondering if you aren't trying just a bit TOO hard. So - here's the CLUE
* There are ONLY 5 species here - no tricky birds, no leucistics (And EXCELLENT effort Matt - so close ;) ) - Just to make it spicier - ALL the birds have been named at least once (narrows it down).
I'll open the comp. back up to all previous entrants (except for Microtus - who knows why he can't re-enter). Several guesses have been extremely close - but there's been just enough 'wrong' with the answer for me to dis-allow it.
Good luck!

[Th_SQ]

That's great fun :king:

Cuckoo, Stonechat and Short-eared Owl.
Lesser black-backed and Glaucous (:-O) Gulls.

Edit: just read tim post. Must be wrong so.

[The Devil Bird]

I hope this is right, I spent a bit of time over it. The gull is really annoying.
I spent so long on this I didn't notice your post. How can there be only 5? The one next to the gull on number four is something else?? EDIT: Oh I get it now ;)
1 Lesser black black gull
2 Common Cuckoo
3 Lesser Black backed Gull and Bar-tailed Godwit
4 Juvenile Stonechat
5 Short-eared Owl (doesn't quite seem right though)

[Andrew Whitehouse]

Can I change Common Gull in number 3 to Black-headed Gull? Otherwise I'll keep my answers the same.

[Jane Turner]

well my Barwit must be a second common gull tugging on a lugworm then - that or it has a deformed bill!

[timwootton]

Oh so close . . .

[The Devil Bird]

Damn! I think the stonechat is a whinchat but then you said that it has been mentioned before and whinchat hasn't so...
EDIT: just noticed no white on tail so it has got to be a stonechat

[bitterntwisted]

One change from first guess is LBBG to GBBG, so....

Great Black-backed Gull, Cuckoo, Common Gulls, juv Stonechat, Short-eared Owl

[timwootton]

A DESERVED WINNER!!!!!!! Well done Graham!

[timwootton]

I'm glad you got it in the end Bitterntwisted -if only because I only have to do the one drawing!!!! See Nick's post at #11 - I was going to allow it, and I PMd him to discuss the merits of allowing the common gulls with a suggestion that black-headed may be there and he sportingly said not to allow it.

[timwootton]

The common gulls photograph is truly horrible - all of the photos are taken from my conservatory window with a crappy camera and a rubbish cheapo scope (not the Nikon, I hasten to add) through saltspray washed dirty double glazing. Many apologies for the 'quality' but I suppose that's part of the fun?
Thanks for your interest.

[Microtus]

It was a lot of fun. This will teach me to look too closely at photos, since I originally thought the "godwit" was a Common Gull and I had actually typed out "Stonechat" before changing it to Robin.