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Mass hallucinations (or mis-leadings)... (2 Viewers)

Steve Waite

Steve Waite

What you looking at?
I would be interested to read about people experiences of mass hallucinations? Or mass mis-leadings? You know, a distant dot that one person says IS the bird you have come several miles for, everyones happy with it, pleased with their tick...and then it flies and turns out that ain't the bird - or worse, it is infact a cowpat!

I have one I will share after I read a few more, look forward to the replies...
 
The benefit of living in a country with an extremely low density of birders, like almost none, is that you never have to suffer from mass anythings, let alone mass hallucinations - thus when that Dodo struts by, if you are happy with it, then by definition, everybody is happy with it ;)

However, more relevant to your question, where was the summer-plumaged Red-necked Stint that had everybody happy many years ago, happy until they realised it was a Sanderling! Fair Isle maybe or somewhere up there?
 
I have one I will share after I read a few more, look forward to the replies...[/QUOTE]

The way your patch is going Steve, I can probably second guess it. You`ve probably all been mass-hallucinating Short-eared Owls but tonight sussed that they are really only Marsh Owls. :king:
 
The Sanderling was indeed on Fair Isle, but I'd say that was misidentification, not the sort of thing Steve is after, mass hallucination. However it did pass scrutiny bu UK experts until photos were sent to Lars Johnsson in Sweden who pointed out that it was a summer plumaged Sanderling (a plumage that many British birders don't see as much of as you might expect).
 
I remember being in a large gallery at spurn years ago looking at a wryneck or something when one person shouted dark brown bird coming low over the water everyone twisted scopes and silence fell as no-one could id the female Mallard that came into veiw . I don't know about hallucinations I think it was a mass brain drain moment lol ;-)))

rik
 
The one I always remember is the 1988 Titchwell 'Baikal Teal'...since I was one of the very many tubes well taken in by it!.
 
Wasn't there a dummy Squacco Heron a few years ago? I remember seeing the disgruntled birders on the news who had travelled a long way only for someone to realise the bird in question hadn't moved for several hours & was in fact, er, plastic.
 
Wasn't the first UK Cetti's along these lines (I seem to recall reading that it was twitched by many as a Moustached Warbler)?
 
On a field trip a few winters ago the leader pointed out a Snowy Owl on the Lake Erie shore. It was well known among local birders that the lump was in fact a discarded boat bumper washed up on the breakwall. When this was pointed out to the leader he went on about his experience working with Snowy Owls at a rehab facility in Canada and he was certain this was a Snowy. About 2/3 of the people on the trip dutifully checked off Snowy Owl. It was a lifer for 4 people.

It was one extremely patient Snowy Owl as it refused to move from its perch for more than 3 years until the US Coast Guard removed it when cleaning trash off the breakwall one summer.
 
Thanks for the replies, some great strories, keep them coming!

Mine was at Dawlish about 4-5 years ago, twitching a Surf Scoter which had been present for a week or so. We arrived to see 15-20 birders watching it in a very VERY distant flock of Scoters. I got on the bird but wasn't convinced, and about 20 mins later a young lad (a little younger than I was at the time) exclaimed he had just seen it flap and it had white on its wing, all the old hat birders replied "white on the belly you mean, its a young bird, they don't have any white on the wing". Another 20 mins later most of the crowd had gone (happy with their ticks!), leaving me and my old man plus another two chaps. I then picked up a lone Scoter at about half the distance of the big flock....it was the Surf Scoter! And soon after, the distant flock took flight and sure enough, they had a Velvet in with them!!!!!
 
Runaround said:
On a field trip a few winters ago the leader pointed out a Snowy Owl on the Lake Erie shore.
Click to expand...

Sounds familiar. While on a search for a possible Western Gull, I was with a group of birders when someone pointed out a Snowy Owl sitting out on a breakwater. There was a learned discussion of its features and speculation on its age and sex, when suddenly it blew away. A discarded plastic bag.

I think we all just slunk away.
 
redeyedvideo said:
Wasn't there a dummy Squacco Heron a few years ago? I remember seeing the disgruntled birders on the news who had travelled a long way only for someone to realise the bird in question hadn't moved for several hours & was in fact, er, plastic.
Click to expand...

I think you may mean the Big Waters night heron (Northumberland).;)
 
Dog said:
:

I happily ticked off Paddychiff at Languard with 300 other people, when Lee Evans is stood in front of everybody pointing out the finer details of Paddyfield. Also what about the Druidge Bay Curlew.
Click to expand...

Reminds me of several hundred birders happily watching a 'barred warbler' on Isles of Scilly in 2004, until someone shouted "why isn't it a Garden Warbler"..........!

I agree with Dog's insinuation that 'that Curlew' perhaps takes the top prize ;)
 
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