Worst ID Miscall (1 Viewer)

Lucky Birder · Apr 22, 2005

My one is from October 1991. Boquer Valley, Majorca. Large bird on distant mountain. Through bins I called Black Vulture. On looking through the scope turned out to be a Blue Rock Thrush. Mountain was much nearer than I thought. Anyone got a miscall to beat that?

CJW · Apr 22, 2005

A Pheasant which turned out to be a Wren on a fencepost!

Jane Turner · Apr 22, 2005

Arctic Skua which was a common scoter is my pinnacle

edenwatcher · Apr 22, 2005

Swallow which turned out to be a bat, and cormorant which was a Canada goose are 2 that spring to mind.

Rob

CJW · Apr 22, 2005

Another pheasant one - male Golden Pheasant at Wolferton which turned out to be a lad on red motorcycle and wearing a yellow helmet.

and 6 people on our mini-bus ticked it!
Briefly.

robinm · Apr 22, 2005

I've ided a white fence post as a Little Egret - but I suspect I am not the only one.

I did once nearly dismiss a Bittern in bitterning posture as a rustic fence post. My excuse was it was nearly dark.

pigsonthewing · Apr 22, 2005

Lucky Birder said:
Anyone got a miscall to beat that?

Not one of mine, thankfully, but two very experienced birders once called a considerable number of people to view a Wryneck. When, after some time, someone commented that it might be dead, as it hadn't moved, it was approached - and turned out to be a dog turd.

Lucky Birder · Apr 22, 2005

CJW said:
Another pheasant one - male Golden Pheasant at Wolferton which turned out to be a lad on red motorcycle and wearing a yellow helmet.

and 6 people on our mini-bus ticked it!
Briefly.

That reminds me of one relayed to me by Mike Warren recently. Apparently a shout for a Houbara in Morocco turned out to be an Arab on a bicycle!

Alan J · Apr 22, 2005

Not an ID miscall but one that caused a chuckle eventually.

My non birding sister in law joined my wife and I on a trip to Tichwell, her call of "Look at that RED KITE" caused all heads to turn and observe .......... a boy "flying a red kite"

You could have cut the silence with a knife

Touty · Apr 22, 2005

CJW said:
Another pheasant one - male Golden Pheasant at Wolferton which turned out to be a lad on red motorcycle and wearing a yellow helmet.

and 6 people on our mini-bus ticked it!
Briefly.

Male Montagu's harrier for grey motorcycle helmet nr. Kings Lynn, oiled blck-headed gull for white-winged black tern (but that was 31 years ago).

Allen · Apr 22, 2005

No doubt innumerable plastic bag id's will soon come to light!!!!!!!

michaelboustead · Apr 22, 2005

Allen said:
No doubt innumerable plastic bag id's will soon come to light!!!!!!!

That Willow Ptarmigan never did move-finally an explanation.

Mike

jurek · Apr 22, 2005

Lapwing as Hoopoe.
Lapwing as Temgmalm's Owl (at night - check it, thats very easy).
Plastic rubbish as Kingfisher.

Didn't beat some people who mistook cow for an Oystercatcher.

CornishExile · Apr 22, 2005

Once witnessed at Radipole an overexcited lady with ex-Soviet destroyer bridge binoculars scream "There it goes! It's flying!" as a bumblebee erupted from a dandelion behind which a Wryneck was skulking.

timmyjones · Apr 22, 2005

magpie as a rose colured starling on the way back from cannock i shouted rosy starling pointing at this magpie sitting on a sign post

Richard D · Apr 22, 2005

Allen said:
No doubt innumerable plastic bag id's will soon come to light!!!!!!!

I'd a Little Egret as a plastic bag until it flew...

Touty · Apr 22, 2005

CornishExile said:
Once witnessed at Radipole an overexcited lady with ex-Soviet destroyer bridge binoculars scream "There it goes! It's flying!" as a bumblebee erupted from a dandelion behind which a Wryneck was skulking.

Not far from Radipole (in a hide at Arne, Dorset) one wintry December day a woman (perhaps the same one... anyway, a 'plummy' National Trust-type) and her companion were admiring a bird they'd confidently identified as a sedge warbler. When the warden politely pointed out that the bird in question was in fact a wren the woman bellowed: 'If that's a wren then my a*** is a nutmeg!'

mountain man · Apr 22, 2005

I've posted this before , but it's so good it's worth another airing...

I wasn't there, but this incident was told to me:

In a hide at Minsmere or Titchwell (can't remember which) a moustached army major type came into the hide and sat down next to some birders. Shortly after he began shouting

"Reedhawk"

The birders just stayed quiet. Then

"Another two Reedhawks"

They assumed he was into other wildlife - maybe dragonflies or something and let him carry on. Again

"A Reedhawk just infront of the hide"

Eventually one of the birders asked

"Sorry about this, but what are Reedhawks?"

The major type said

"This bird here. The wading bird with the red legs"

"But that's a Redshank" the birder said.

The major type then put his reading glasses on, looked at the picture of Redshank on the wall of the hide, and said

"Ah yes. So it is. A Reed Shank"!!!!!!!!!!!!

alcedo.atthis · Apr 22, 2005

"No doubt innumerable plastic bag id's will soon come to light!!!!!!!"

I seem to remember a rarity, a common plastic carrier bag, which was ticked as a Bittern by many a birder one day down South, until concern was raised about 8 hours later, regarding the non-movement of said "Bittern". When it was discovered that it was of the "plastic carrier bag" sub-species, many a birder denied "ticking" such an object.

Regards

Malky

Terry O'Nolley · Apr 22, 2005

I thought I was viewing a Raven that was walking very near the edge of a pond (I was on the far side of the pond). Turns out it was a Green Heron walking around in the water!

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