Old thread here: http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/chat/f/2542/t/22684.aspx
Because the original thread has, fittingly enough, 'gone bad', it's time for a new 'Bad pics' thread. Here, we celebrate the very worst of our wildlife photography. The subject matter is always brilliant, but the photos are very much not. If it's out of focus, chopped in half, frighteningly under- or over-exposed or terrible in some other way, it belongs here :)
Here's my first (first of many, no doubt) contribution to the new thread, a Goldcrest taken at Barnes yesterday. You need only minor incompetence to take a blurry photo, and the same to take a really under-exposed photo, but to do both in one go requires a special level of cackhandedness.
the vile language used on the Goldies upset the camera
CinJ
Amazing! The blackcaps on the continent have long gone south (I think) But at least the last two winters were that soft , they could've spared the trouble. And aswell amazing that the Blackcap could put off the Goldies ! The Goldies on my feeding station have no problem putting Blue Tits or even Sparrows off.
I do love this thread, though all too often I bin suitable photos, but I've kept some back.
I'm sure the food doesn't taste any better from the other side, so I'll take it personally, someone didn't like my camera!
Now that is bare faced cheek!
Could you please stay in the focal point of my camera!
I blame the grubby window and Christmas light reflections in the window. Nothing to do with with the odd G&T, honest.
This has to be the most special but bad pics I've ever taken lol As they say a record shot is better than none and this bird was an humongous distance away combined with direct full sunshine right into the lens !! I'm thrilled to have seen it though (the sunshine and the Siberian Stonechat, Saxicola maurus )
First to give an indication of the distance the bird was away from us but it was confirmed by several "twitchers" and their scopes..... I put a tiny red arrow (centre pic) to show where the bird was bobbing around although you won't find it in this pic !
and then the bird - a pin-prick of silhouette !! we were having to look straight ahead and into the sunshine -
centre of pic ..................yes, that little dot lol
now a crop to show it was indeed a Stonechat silhouette and you'll have to take my word (and that of far more experienced birders with me) that it was...……...
a Siberian Stonechat, Saxicola maurus
If it sticks around we may try going again as you can get luckier with where the bird perches - fingers crossed.
I almost forgot a fox suddenly shot out at the far edge of the flash so you get another bad pic ha ha ! Wouldn't mind, I've not taken photos for ages due to the miserable wet weather and when I do the only ones I manage end up on this thread :( !!
Unknown said: I gather that it has been recognised as a separate species comparatively recently.
I think "1st winter male Stejneger's Stonechat (Saxicola maurus stejnegeri) was mentioned but without a feather or as Frank Spencer would say: " a whoopsie !" sample for DNA the jury is still out. A few tick listers have already managed to add it to their 2019 tally and we hope it overwinters locally so we have a better chance of seeing it properly. It has been a little closer but its luck of the draw as in all cases with rarities. One chap mentioned that it may be the same bird which was seen recently in Suffolk as it had identical plumage but its all speculation really. I always feel a bit sorry when a rare bird turns up on its own a long way from home territory but I was told if it stayed it could breed with a Eurasian Stonechat which would make the next generation even harder to determine lol No wonder it is difficult to separate some species so accurately !
* I've only made lists of garden birds so no idea how many different species I've seen in my 8 years of birdwatching !