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Tried to ID a bird with a field guide and it backfired badly
I saw a weird finch at my feeder last Thursday with a red head and black wings, so I spent 20 minutes flipping through my Sibley guide trying to match it. Turns out I was looking at the wrong section the whole time and it was just a house finch with some dirt on it. Anyone else have a field guide fail like that or am I the only one who can't use a book right?
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leodavis9d ago
Three years ago I spent a solid twenty minutes trying to ID a "rare warbler" in my backyard. Scrawny thing, weird yellow patches, acting all skittish. Flipped through the guide three times. Got frustrated and went inside. Looked out the window later and realized it was just a garden hose with a yellow nozzle on the end lying in the grass. The "yellow patches" were just a reflection of sunlight. My wife still brings it up at parties. So no, you're not alone. At least your bird was actually a bird.
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Buddy of mine once spent an hour looking for a bird that turned out to be a mailbox.
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