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GAME: name that bird!


Jochen

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@ElaineAust It's not Freckled

@GalanaNot Standard-winged

 

but It is indeed a nightjar, but I have to say that these birds live on six continents and there are I understand 79 species of true nightjars, so that leaves another 77 to consider, I will see how this goes and then try to think of some helpful clues if this proves to difficult. 

Edited by inyathi
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@inyathias you say it could be a lot of different nightjars!

I will make a guess of one of the few I have seen myself. Fiery necked nightjar?

 

@Galana  I am sorry I could not make a qualified guess for your last offering. I was not really understanding the clues correctly so was looking at the wrong continents!

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@mvecht No it's not that one.

 

Looking on the wrong continents certainly slows things down, the only thing I might add regarding @Galana's last one, is that I regret not seriously putting my mind to it far sooner, but when I did, I identified it from the photos, using my African bird books, not from the word clues, the last clue merely confirmed that I definitely had the right answer, an answer that I should have given earlier when I'd first worked it out.  

 

 

Edited by inyathi
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1 hour ago, inyathi said:

Looking on the wrong continents certainly slows things down,

Ain't that the truth? Whether Wattle eyes or Nightjars.;)

 

2 hours ago, mvecht said:

@Galana  I am sorry I could not make a qualified guess for your last offering.

Not a problem. Like I have said participation is optional.

 

Back to the 'Nightjar' and the final 75. I will stick my neck out and suggest it is not one that appears in "Birds of India". (Does anybody else find it painful to type with fingers crossed??) My only other books are Europe, Ecuador, Sibley's Western North America. So frm sheer lack of books I am sticking for now with the 25 "African ones"  less 3 leaves 22. If it was Nechisar or Prigogine's you would be singing it from the roof tops not tormenting us, so 20.

I had drawn up a list of possibles from sub groups and the current favourite for a number of reasons is Montane (Abyssinian) poliocephalus.

Of course I am now ready to be told I am on the wrong Continent and I should be in Vietnam or New Zealand. :lol: Nothing ventured, nothing gained as a certain Actress once said.

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@GalanaOkay, well I'll start by telling you it's not montane and then because I'm feeling generous and I don't think you've been to New Zealand, I'll help you out by saying there are no nightjars in NZ :lol:, it would perhaps be a little unkind if I just left it at that, so I will say having checked the relevant book that there are five species in Vietnam and it's none of those, when you pick up the right book you might find the answer;)

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Too kind!:) Now to pick up the right book. Interesting choice of words.

Musing things over a morning Rosy Lee I got to thinking, as one does, and that background 'book' and the whole presentation of the bird is very unusual. We have mentioned nestling/foundling but how did the bird get there? Did the cat bring it home? Doubt it. A mental image formed of you sitting out one warm evening ( I hear they do occur even in England) with a cool glass maybe (optional) and a Nightjar wearing L plates got too focused on the moths around your lighting and hit your windows. Grab camera. Job done!

Of course you could be anywhere in the world (except New Zealand and Antarctica) from Ann Arbor to Zinfandel but why not start at home? This would make it a European Nightjar.

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@Galana It's not a European Nightjar, I do like your suggestion though, sitting out on a warm evening with a cold glass sounds good, the question is what to put in the glass? How about a nice rum punch, some good rum, passion fruit, a good squeeze of lime and plenty of ice, that would be sure to hit the spot:D 

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How about a Savanna Nightjar. 

I don't have my books to hand but if I recall it does not have too much white around the throat - which your bird doesn't

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2 hours ago, Soukous said:

How about a Savanna Nightjar. 

I don't have my books to hand but if I recall it does not have too much white around the throat - which your bird doesn't

No doubt some people would put Savanna in the glass as well, which would make the last few posts an incredible coincidence...

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@Soukous I'm afraid it's not Savanna Nightjar.

 

@Peter ConnanI have to say if I'm in Africa I am quite partial to a glass of Savanna dry with ice. 

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8 hours ago, inyathi said:

How about a nice rum punch, some good rum, passion fruit, a good squeeze of lime and plenty of ice, that would be sure to hit the spot:D 

Well that's the European book back on the Shelf unless I am heading for the Notting Hill Carnival with its really colourful birds and Night Jar has a totally different meaning.

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Thrown the books away. I think I know where you are coming from.

I will throw in White-tailed Nightjar but have no wish to list em all.

 

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Pictus Safaris

I'm sure this will be a highly localised species based on your previous posts @inyathi- so I'm going to eliminate the commoner species, and pretty much everything in and around the Pantanal. I'll have to do some work on the nightjars of Guyana, Suriname, Venezuela etc...

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I much preferred my theory of a window strike but it could be here as well with a nice Southern Cooler in place of a Beer.

Totally lost with only an Ecuador book to guide me so why not a Common Pauraque to kick off with?

The feet colour fits.:lol:

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@GalanaYou might not be quite as lost as you think, but it's not Common Pauraque.

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24 minutes ago, inyathi said:

You might not be quite as lost as you think,

Have you see the illustrations in my Helm Guide?

Even the introduction is the epitome of guidance. "Confusing group of mainly terrestial nocturnal birds..difficult to become familiar with and generally hard to identify."  Deserves the Pullitzer Prize for stating the bleeding obvious.:P

It also says "Band-winged regularly sits in roads" so why the heck not pick that next?

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5 minutes ago, Galana said:

Have you see the illustrations in my Helm Guide?

@GalanaYes they're not perhaps the best illustrations, but you will find this bird hiding in there, although I wasn't in Ecuador.

 

I'm afraid it's not Band-Winged, if it's any help at all, it is sitting on sand and I was sitting in a boat if I recall.

 

 

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1763349804_1-Ecuador417.JPG.92b5e9fe8b92f931e4be87ca8555f756.JPG

Ladder-tailed? I saw mine from a boat too.

 

Edited by Galana
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@Galana Nope

 

:lol: It's starting to look like you are going to have to name all of them at this rate. 

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5 minutes ago, inyathi said:

you are going to have to name all of them at this rate. 

Well at least we have made a big hole in the original 77.:lol:

 

I keep coming back to Blackish as the obvious one all along but all the photos I see are anything but 'blackish'

 

Lunch beckons.

Edited by Galana
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@Galana Correct, presuming that I'm not mistaken and that my guide at the time was right, I do have it down as blackish, so you can now stop naming nightjars.:) 

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Drat. I was so looking forward to more cryptic clues. I often find them more interesting than the bird itself.

Perhaps we should start a new 'non illustrated' game guided by clues only? I struggle with my photos as so many are so easily found elsewhere.

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OK. Let's see who wants a go at this one and how long it lasts.

1-DSCF8310.JPG.5ad4b6dee8da24715379db4cf0bb2368.JPG

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