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OT! bird photography contest (Final Results)
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Topic Starter
This bird was originally identified as an Australian magpie, but in actuality it is a completely different bird. However, One can see the similarities. They are both largish birds with a similar black and white pattern. There is a reason the magpie-lark is called a magpie-lark, because they are pretty similar. Honestly, one of the first things you learn once you start actually paying attention to Australian birds is that magpie-larks and magpies are two completely different birds, so i don't blame you for making this mistake lol. The next thing you learn is what honeyeaters are, and the next thing after that is that noisy miners and Indian mynas are completely unrelated, so yeah just a bit of an Australian bird knowledge speedrun for you.
I'm pretty excited to talk about Australian birds because these are the birds i'm familiar with.
Bird coolness: 1
Yeah i said i was excited but sorry this bird is pretty uninteresting compared to other birds. Like their fame is mostly from them larping as magpies (magpie-lark? more like magpie-larp amr). While magpies are iconic and a favourite for many Australians, it feels like these guys have literally nothing going for them, even though they're both just as common. And because they're so common, there isn't really anything special about seeing one, it's just whatever. It almost becomes a bit sad how i feel they're so uninteresting, like i'm pretty sure that if i got to know them intimately they'd be as cool as any other bird, but idk they don't really leave me with any impression, and i wouldn't be surprised if other Australians hold this same view.
Bird rarity : 2
Not global, but very easy to find in the places they do live.
Interesting aspects: 3
Here's where this entry starts to score some points, it's a pretty cool action shot of a bird taking flight/landing. It's pretty hard to see the top down view of a bird that's flying because yk they're so high up, so this is pretty interesting.
Photo quality: 4
I really like the shadows of the photo on the light concrete, it kinda looks like the same pattern the magpie-lark has. I've already talked about how cool this action shot is, but the fact that it's so close up is really nice. Honestly i think if this exact photo was taken by a professional who knew what they were doing and given a bit of a post-processing, it could've looked amazing.
Bonus points: 5
It gets 4 extra points because of the doubled points from the highest category.
I was wondering whether to give the bonus ID point because it was IDed incorrectly before i pointed it out, but since there was a good attempt made, it was fixed later, and this is all part of the process of learning about Australian birds, i'll give the bonus point.
Overall: 15/26
Not much else to say, cool pic, it's just that you rolled a 2 star on the "will i think a bird is cool" gacha. I know there's a really common bird that can snag a 5 in the coolness category, and it's not even that hard to take a good picture of, so if you keep gambling maybe you can win big.
Topic Starter
I saw it, just wanted to know if they were wild or part of the farm, because if they were part of the farm the pic wouldn't be eligible according to my rules.mizu_chuu wrote:
was my entry not seen or did i miss smth
they were wild, i took the pic from inside the farm lolDM FOR MUTUAL wrote:
I saw it, just wanted to know if they were wild or part of the farm, because if they were part of the farm the pic wouldn't be eligible according to my rules.mizu_chuu wrote:
was my entry not seen or did i miss smth
Topic Starter
That's all i need to hearmizu_chuu wrote:
they were wild, i took the pic from inside the farm lolDM FOR MUTUAL wrote:
I saw it, just wanted to know if they were wild or part of the farm, because if they were part of the farm the pic wouldn't be eligible according to my rules.mizu_chuu wrote:
was my entry not seen or did i miss smth
I looked it up and apparently there are two species of ostriches, the common ostrich and the Somali ostrich. Because i can't tell which this one is off of visuals alone, i'm going to guess that this picture was not taken in the Horn of Africa and these are common ostriches.
Bird coolness: 3
Ostriches are pretty cool, they're literally the biggest bird in the world, and one of the most famous birds ever. It's kinda hard to believe that they're birds sometimes, they're so big and they run around instead of flying, they're kinda like the antithesis of what a bird should be.
Bird rarity : 2
Again, not really sure how common they are, but i'm guessing that they are. I doubt they'd be hard to miss either.
Interesting aspects: 2
I know they're just standing around, but idk it's fun how two of them are facing forward somewhat, like they're eyeing you down. Also apparently these are female ostriches, males have the black and white feathers.
Photo quality: 2
Would've been a 3 if the fence wasn't in the way.
Bonus points: 3
It gets 3 extra points because of the doubled points from the highest category.
Unfortunately, as there are 2 species of ostrich, i cannot give the bird ID bonus point as "ostrich" is too vague by itself.
Overall: 12/26
I've been trying to keep my "i"s uncapitalised if they're not at the start of a sentence, but it's so hard. This shit is engraved into my muscle memory.
Hmmm I am hoping to have one more trick up my sleeve before I done with my Florida vacation
Im surprised that nobody still sent a ducks, so here is mine:
HQ: https://i.ibb.co/56CdcFM/DSC02767.jpg
HQ: https://i.ibb.co/56CdcFM/DSC02767.jpg
what does the t-2 mean? does it mean that me and abraker are tied for 2nd place? and if the contest finishes and me and abraker are still tied, do we both get the 2 months or does it get split into 1 month for the both of us?
Topic Starter
So that explains this, I was wondering about thisabraker wrote:
Hmmm I am hoping to have one more trick up my sleeve before I done with my Florida vacation
Yes that's what it means. If the competition would end now I'd give you two months and work out with Lyawi and abraker on what to do because I feel like giving GMTs supporter is a bit pointless.sametdze wrote:
what does the t-2 mean? does it mean that me and abraker are tied for 2nd place? and if the contest finishes and me and abraker are still tied, do we both get the 2 months or does it get split into 1 month for the both of us?
Topic Starter
It took a while before the first duck post indeed.
Bird coolness: 2
Not the biggest duck fan, but i gotta say the males in breeding plumage look pretty cool and iconic
Bird rarity : 2
Pretty globally widespread bird, but I'll give an extra point because it seems like they'd be migratory in Russia, where I assume this photo was taken, meaning you wouldn't be able to see them throughout the entire year. Also it seems like this picture was taken during mallard breeding season seeing how there are ducklings and males in breeding plumage, meaning that it was taken in Summer, not now.
Interesting aspects: 4
Cute ducklings, we get to see cool male breeding mallards too
Photo quality: 3
Generic lake duck picture but it looks pretty nice, it's nice and bright, and the reflections off the surface being really intense is a cool effect.
Bonus points: 4
It gets 4 extra points because of the doubled points from the highest category.
No ID bonus point though
Overall: 15/26
Can yall stop getting 15/26, i might start ordering entries which are tied to break the ties
can it explain this?DM FOR MUTUAL wrote:
So that explains this, I was wondering about thisabraker wrote:
Hmmm I am hoping to have one more trick up my sleeve before I done with my Florida vacation
A surprise find
somehow still aint seen a bird
ye sameWitherMite wrote:
somehow still aint seen a bird
Topic Starter
We should speed up global warming so you guys can see more birds in winterFarfocele wrote:
ye sameWitherMite wrote:
somehow still aint seen a bird
I'll go look for birds in just a bitDM FOR MUTUAL wrote:
We should speed up global warming so you guys can see more birds in winterFarfocele wrote:
ye sameWitherMite wrote:
somehow still aint seen a bird
69th post
(no bird pic sorry)
(no bird pic sorry)
There were birds but they were all too high up and were blocked by branches and other shit. Well played, birds.Farfocele wrote:
I'll go look for birds in just a bitDM FOR MUTUAL wrote:
We should speed up global warming so you guys can see more birds in winterFarfocele wrote:
ye sameWitherMite wrote:
somehow still aint seen a bird
you probably didn't go outsideWitherMite wrote:
somehow still aint seen a bird
thats not very kind to say mr lyawi!Lyawi wrote:
you probably didn't go outsideWitherMite wrote:
somehow still aint seen a bird
bump?
as it is with anything, this bird will die when it dies, and it will be revived when it's revived
let it die if nobody has anything, let it live if someone does <3
(exceptions are made for cringe, but cringe exists in the "court of public opinion" afaik)
let it die if nobody has anything, let it live if someone does <3
(exceptions are made for cringe, but cringe exists in the "court of public opinion" afaik)
Topic Starter
I'm alive
Bird coolness: 3
They look pretty cool ngl
Bird rarity: 3
No idea how rare they are, maybe this category was a bad one because for every bird outside of Australian ones I have to make an educated guess. I think if they're like most herons in Australia I'd give them a 3, so that's what I'll give them here.
Interesting aspects: 1
Uhh idk
Photo quality: 3
Bit blurry/low-quality, you can tell this was zoomed in, but very nice photo of the bird nevertheless
Bonus points: 3
It gets 3 extra points because of the doubled points from the highest category.
No ID bonus point though
Overall: 13/26
I saw nankeen night herons for the first time 2 days ago so we are night heron buddies now
Really old and quite random photo of a peacock from 2015 I had lying around.
I was 5 years when this was taken.
a chubby Black-legged kittiwake (I think?), pretty sure it's sick.
Topic Starter
I have literally never heard of a "kittiwake" before, this is epic
Also what do you mean by "sick"? As in the bird is awesome and epic, or the bird is ill? I have no idea how to tell if a bird is ill from just this picture.
Bird coolness: 4
Honestly not the biggest gull fan but the fact that I've never heard of these guys before and they are the cutest gulls I've ever seen, I gotta give them a 4
Bird rarity: 4
First 4 in this thread. They are listed as vulnerable, being the first bird that can be considered threatened. They are also an uncommon sight for us land lubbers, so it's pretty rare seeing one. Apparently, they winter at sea so this is probably one of the last ones you can see this year before they all fly off, assuming you're not on an island in the middle of nowhere.
Interesting aspects: 1
I wanted to give 2 points because they're cute but I feel like that's too much for a guy just standing there. I like their black feet
Photo quality: 3
Close to a 2 but nice photo nonetheless. I think that a 2 has to be at least ok quality but with something I can complain about, and because I don't really have any complaints this is a 3.
Bonus points: 5
It gets 4 extra points because of the doubled points from the highest category.
Also +1 for the successful bird ID (idk I didn't really check with other gull species but from what I've researched this seems right)
Overall: 17/26
Taking second place. This might be my favourite bird on this thread so far though, just that Lyawi's photo is such good quality.
Topic Starter
Sorry but it feels a bit unfair to count this one as an entry when it was taken 10 years ago, and maybe by someone that wasn't yougreat_elmo wrote:
Really old and quite random photo of a peacock from 2015 I had lying around.
I was 5 years when this was taken.
Really cool photo though, it looks like the first one through a really high quality camera (unless Lyawi's was as well)
ill as in it's sick, it wasn't afraid of me at all, and there has been a lot of bird flu spreading around this area. So I find it quite likely that it was ill, it was completely unresponsive to anything. (granted I didn't interact with it beyond putting food next to it and getting kinda close)
another image for reference
another image for reference
roufou wrote:
a chubby Black-legged kittiwake (I think?), pretty sure it's sick.
yep, this seagull is definitely not feeling well. You can tell by letting wings just slightly hang, eyes tend to be more closed and feathers aren't as slick.DM FOR MUTUAL wrote:
Also what do you mean by "sick"? As in the bird is awesome and epic, or the bird is ill? I have no idea how to tell if a bird is ill from just this picture.
If this picture is by any chance recent, please go back to pick it up and bring to a wildlife rehab center asap.
Ah bird flu. Rehabbers hate this topic - though there are very common symptoms like neurological head movements, changes in pupils etc. This seagul doesn't seem to have it. Given the location you found it, it probably collided with a car before, symptoms are fitting for this too.
unfortunately the image wasn't very recent, I will be more mindful of contacting bird help or whatever you'd call it if I see something similar. (honestly I was considering it but I assumed they weren't active in such a small city) The bird was gone the next day so hopefully it felt better afterwards. I doubt a predator would have gotten it, cause the only worry would be a cat I'm pretty sure.
edit: I kind of doubt it was a car, but it's definitely a possibility.
edit: I kind of doubt it was a car, but it's definitely a possibility.
Topic Starter
Damn I feel bad about gushing about a bird that's probably sick. I hope that it was nothing major and they can recover.Lyawi wrote:
roufou wrote:
a chubby Black-legged kittiwake (I think?), pretty sure it's sick.yep, this seagull is definitely not feeling well. You can tell by letting wings just slightly hang, eyes tend to be more closed and feathers aren't as slick.DM FOR MUTUAL wrote:
Also what do you mean by "sick"? As in the bird is awesome and epic, or the bird is ill? I have no idea how to tell if a bird is ill from just this picture.
If this picture is by any chance recent, please go back to pick it up and bring to a wildlife rehab center asap.
doubt this image will get a very good score cause somehow it's so blurry it looks like a painting...? I honestly have no idea how that happened, I can't help but wonder if I applied a filter by accident. Or is this just normal cause I had to zoom in a lot.
The image is bad cause I assumed these birds would be a lot less likely to let me take a picture of them up close.
I do find it very likely that this is two Eurasian Oystercatcher.
If the image is too poor quality to be even judged then feel free to skip, though I figured I might as well send it cause it's likely the only bird image I could send besides the earlier one.
correct \:D/roufou wrote:
I do find it very likely that this is two Eurasian Oystercatcher.
it looks like a painting
Topic Starter
I am so timely with these
Bird coolness: 3
Oystercatchers my beloved
Bird rarity: 3
They're very widespread and apparently have "large numbers" according to wikipedia, but also apparently Near Threatened, so I'll give them a 3
Interesting aspects: 1
Nothing really to note here
Photo quality: 1
Not really vibing with the weird painting filter
Bonus points: 4
It gets 3 extra points because of the doubled points from the highest category.
Also +1 for the successful bird ID
Overall: 12/26
Topic Starter
2 weeks nearly up for any last minute submissions
Topic Starter
Sorry for the delay, was busy, I will conclude this and hand out supporter in a few days
So yeah last last chance for any cheeky submissuons
So yeah last last chance for any cheeky submissuons
I was hoping to see flamingos in the Floridian wild and snatch my victory but that never happened T_T
I guess this will do
Red-bellied Woodpecker
I guess this will do
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Topic Starter
Ok I'm finally ready to finish this up. This will be the final entry.
Bird coolness: 3
I think woodpeckers are pretty cool, I would be really excited to see one. Australia is the only continent without them. I think the red on it's head is very cute
Bird rarity: 2
I have no fucking clue I'm just pulling this number out of my ass because it's classified as Least Concern and is spread around a pretty large area.
Interesting aspects: 2
Is that even a tree bruh
How tf do they hold on to the wood like that
Photo quality: 3
Even though it might not be the most quality image, I really like how it looks. Idk, the green backdrop, the tree(pole?) running through the centre and the bird perfectly centred, idk it's pretty nice
Bonus points: 4
It gets 3 extra points because of the doubled points from the highest category.
Also +1 for the successful bird ID
Overall: 14/26
Topic Starter
A beautiful picture of a wood pigeon holding a stick from Lyawi!
This was the first entry submitted, so it's funny that it ended up winning. Even though I assumed the first entries would have a bit of a disadvantage because I assumed people would use them as a baseline to try and top, but after 12 entries this photo still ended up being my favourite.
Shoutouts to abraker for submitting 4 photos, a full third of all the entries lol. With all the entries he managed to nab a third place finish as well.
Overall, I really enjoyed this thread, I remember I was really excited to open this thread all the time to see if there were any new entries, and to learn abut new birds. I did end up getting overwhelmed with some irl stuff later on and wasn't able to check up on this thread as much, but this is probably my second or third favourite thread I've ever done.
Beyond just liking birds, the reason I made this thread is because I've always been kinda fascinated by how we all live around the world. When I go outside, all the people I see and interact with are all just people that live in the same city I live, and that city is the only thing I see when I go outside. But when I go on OT, somehow I'm interacting with people all over the world, living in completely different ways to me, which is pretty cool. I've always wanted to explore this idea further instead of just talking about stuff to do with stuff that goes on in OT or on the internet in general, and this thread was kind of a way to explore this aspect of OT.
Anyway, I really enjoyed this thread and am grateful to the people that posted images, and hope that if any of you stuck around long enough to read this you enjoyed it too.
I might make just a general thread to post bird pictures if any of you would be interested.
If you wanted to look at all the other photos here they are:
(yes I am aware that 2 of abraker's photos are broken because he used discord)
btw I updated my posts to non discord ones. I couldn't link properly on mobile
gg
god my phone camera sucks. smasnug(tm).
Very late, but a whole flock of american robins, a bunch of some kind of sparrow? and a bluejay were in my backyard, couldn't get a good group photo though - they were too spread out, If I went outside I'd scare them, and these birds are tiny, so here's the best ones I could get of a robin and the bluejay through a window.
Very late, but a whole flock of american robins, a bunch of some kind of sparrow? and a bluejay were in my backyard, couldn't get a good group photo though - they were too spread out, If I went outside I'd scare them, and these birds are tiny, so here's the best ones I could get of a robin and the bluejay through a window.
Bluejay!WitherMite wrote:
god my phone camera sucks. smasnug(tm).
Very late, but a whole flock of american robins, a bunch of some kind of sparrow? and a bluejay were in my backyard, couldn't get a good group photo though - they were too spread out, If I went outside I'd scare them, and these birds are tiny, so here's the best ones I could get of a robin and the bluejay through a window.
100th post
its mordecaiWitherMite wrote:
god my phone camera sucks. smasnug(tm).
Very late, but a whole flock of american robins, a bunch of some kind of sparrow? and a bluejay were in my backyard, couldn't get a good group photo though - they were too spread out, If I went outside I'd scare them, and these birds are tiny, so here's the best ones I could get of a robin and the bluejay through a window.
Topic Starter
It would be so cool to just have bluejays chilling in my backyardWitherMite wrote:
god my phone camera sucks. smasnug(tm).
Very late, but a whole flock of american robins, a bunch of some kind of sparrow? and a bluejay were in my backyard, couldn't get a good group photo though - they were too spread out, If I went outside I'd scare them, and these birds are tiny, so here's the best ones I could get of a robin and the bluejay through a window.