What's your best birding goof? (1 Viewer)

I thought this might be an interesting topic. I feel like every good birder should have a growing list of goofs.|=)| I have had my fair share, but the most recent one that comes to my mind is my heron misidentification last year. I thought a Green Heron was a Least Bittern (I think it was on the smaller end of Green Herons), which would have been a rare bird for the location and habitat I was in. I posted it to a local birding listserv and was very proud of myself. Imagine my surprise when I went back the next day, got a better look at it, and saw it was a Green Heron! I had to correct my listserv post and swallow my pride.:eat: It was quite a surprise then, but I find it hilarious now.

Oh it's even been here. After 13 years birding IDd a female r.w. Black bird as fox sparrow.

This fall I was at a popular birding spot and bumped into the top birder
in the county and told him I'd seen a Tree Sparrow up near the parking lot.
He says it's a bit early for Tree Sparrow are you sure it wasn't a young White-crowned?
I said no this bird was a rather big Sparrow. He says well White-crowned are a good size and Tree
Sparrows are smaller. Then he shows me a pic on his camera of a juvenile White-crowned
he took that morning and I said...uh yeah that's the bird. Now the guy thinks I'm a beginner , but I've
been at this for several years now ...how embarrassing and it was the first and only time I met him.

The upside was I tagged along with him and a couple other birders and learned some more things.
He was very polite and gave me quite a few pointers.

In Spain I directed a group of birders to a field with '40' Dotterel in. When their group leader finished counting there were 165! Must pay more attention....