A lovely long lirralirra mystery quiz this year with fourteen pretty, or pretty funny, photographs to try to identify.
The mysteries are often surprisingly tricky to identify but they’re just a bit of fun, one of last year’s guesses was a dodo!
As usual I’ll keep all answers under wraps until next week.
Take care out there, happy birding, Kim
~ Facebook page Kim Wormald – lirralirra
~ Facebook group Ethical Bird Photography
My guesses
1. Tern.
2. Male Superb Fairy-wren.
3. Silver Gull.
4. Australasian Swamphen.
5. Australian Masked Owl.
6. Pink-eared Duck.
7. Pacific Black Duck.
8. Noisy Miner.
9. Yellow Tufted Honeyeater.
10. Black Swan cygnet.
11. Crimson Rosella.
12. Cape Barren Goose.
13. Shelduck.
14. Royal Spoonbill.
Another excellent list with heaps correct. I’m just about to share the ‘reveal’ photographs…
Thanks for the quiz Kim, several of these birds I haven’t seen live #’s 1,5,9 and 10 so I am pretty happy with the result. Cheers and keep up the great work, take care. Regards Neville.
That’s really quite remarkable Neville. I wouldn’t have done that well under similar circumstances! You take care too, Kim
I figured I was OK at identifying quite a number of species but you got me here. I’m not game to put my guesses up but was fun thinking about it, cheers
You probably did way better than you thought you would!
What a great challenge, Kim! Loved it. I went with hunches on some, but also studied the bird guides, so I’m confident on some of my guesses, less so on others… 😉 Anyway, here it goes…
1 Based on the red feet and the silvery-grey wings I’d say it’s a Silver Gull.
2 Fairy-wren, probably Superb.
3 Silver Gull, guessing from the white spots on the dark outer wing and otherwise whitish body
4 Those legs are really solid and red. They fit a Purple Swamphen, but the colours confuse me a bit. Still, I’m sticking with my first guess.
5 Powerful Owl. I think once you’ve seen one you don’t forget, they are so impressive.
6 Is that a Pink-eared Duck? The stripey pattern convinces me.
7 At first I thought it was either a Pacific or Chestnut Teal, but I believe it’s actually a Pacific Black Duck.
8 The yellow made me think it’s some honeyeater and with the leg colour, could it be a Noisy Miner?
9 With the yellow tufts sticking out, it would have to be a Yellow-tufted Honeyeater. Or maybe a Helmeted?
10 So cute! Really, I have no idea but for some reason Gannet popped into my head. Googled some photos and it could be, but it could equally be something totally different.
11 I’m thinking immature Crimson Rosella.
12 The headshape makes me think of a goose or duck. Because of the light colours and the dot pattern I think it is a Cape Barren Goose.
13 Australian Shelduck. I think the chestnut colour next to the dark green gives it away.
14 Is that your favourite one? It’s got great legs! At first I thought it might be White Ibis, but there should be some black shining through somewhere. Then I noticed the bill, so I believe it’s a Royal Spoonbill.
That was fun! No, I’m looking forward to your solutions. :-))
Oh my goodness Elke, I’ve just read your list a couple of times and you’ve done super well, as you’re about to see. I loved reading your reasons for going the way you did, very interesting
I am going to do terribly!
1. Tern
2. Superb fairywren
3. Silver gull
4. Juvenile pukeko
5. Powerful owl
6. Pinks eared duck
7. Pacific black duck
8. Noisy miner
9. Yellow tufted honeyeater
10. Gannet chick
11. Juvenile crimson rosella
12. Cape Barren Goose
13. Chestnut teal
14. Great egret
You did terribly well! Awesome in fact, as you’re about to see…
Birds! LOL!! Most of them anyway. Really cool post Kim. I’ve figured some of them out, fairy wren, sea gull, a couple of ducks, maybe three, an ibis and a swamp hen. The fluffy thing might not be a bird.
You’re right, all birds! Even the ‘fluffy thing’ 🙂
Fun to look at. Extremely difficult. I have no idea!!!
All is about to be revealed!
I love this, only one I can name, quickly, is no 8 – Noisy Miner I think. I look forward to seeing the answers.
I bet you got a few more Gabrielle, if you had time for another peek
1. Silver Gull
2. Female Superb Fairy Wren
3. Silver Gull
4. Purple Swamp Hen
5. Powerful Owl
6. Female Australasian Shoveler
7. Grey Teal
8. Noisy Miner
9. Yellow Tufted Honeyeater
10. Baby balls of fluff
11. Swift Parrot
12. Cape Barren Goose
13. Australian Shelduck
14. Royal Spoonbill
‘Baby balls of fluff’! How gorgeous! You’ve done super well Alison, I’m just about to post the answers.
1. Whiskered Tern
2. Superb Fairy-wren
3. Silver Gull
4. Australasian Swamphen
5. Powerful Owl
6. Pink-eared Duck
7. Pacific Black Duck
8. Noisy Miner
9. Yellow-tufted Honeyeater
10. Australasian Gannet chick
11. Crimson Rosella juvenile
12. Cape Barren Goose
13. Chestnut Teal
14. Little Egret
Wow! Twelve correct Kim, that’s awesome
1.Whiskered Tern 2.Superb Fairy-wren 3.Silver Gull 4.Dusky Moorhen 5.Powerful Owl 6.Pink-eared Duck 7.Pacific Black Duck 8.Noisy Miner 9.Lewin’s Honeyeater 10. Australasian Gannet 11.Crimson Rosella 12.Cape Barren Goose 13.Australian Shelduck 14.Australian White Ibis
14. Royal Spoonbill
Now just one that evaded your eagle eye!
That’s an excellent result John, just two that evaded your eagle eye
I know #8! its a Wassit !
A ‘Wassit’ hahaha!
What a great, fun quiz for end of winter Kim, will try my brain😊
Good luck! Not that I think you’ll need it 🙂
PS: I LOVE the balletic pose in the last.
I like that shot too EC, there’s something peaceful and yet strong about it to my mind
I am more than a little brain dead this afternoon.
No guesses yet.
It occurred to me the faceless mysteries is all too appropriate for our masked times. It seems I need faces/or context. The context issue has led to an embarrassing scene in a shopping centre. Idiot woman (me) said to man and his wife. ‘Oh. I didn’t recognise you with your clothes on’. He was a swimmer I saw at the local pool. His wife was not. FAST explanations were required (and luckily accepted).
What a good point about being ‘faceless’, I hadn’t thought of that! Hahaha how hilarious about the swimmer!
Well, I’m surprised at how many faceless birds I instantly recognise, and I love the candid shots, beautiful as always, Kim! Thanks so much for sharing and keeping us in nature when we can’t get to where we love.
My pleasure Syndy, hopefully we’ll be able to be safely out and about again soon
They are all camera shy!!!
Luckily they peeked out for the next shot 🙂