Humorous mistaken identity

[FungiJohn]

Have you ever thought you have seen something only to find that it was something totally different?

This happened today (well yesterday!) at the end of a spring fungi foray at Thorpe Salvin in Rotherham whilst we were returning to our cars. As we passed a prominent tree by the roadside, Neil (a very experienced mycologist!) pointed out a possible bracket fungus growing on the edge of a thick snapped off branch. It turned out to be a starling!

It reminded me of the time when I spent ages photographing what appeared to be a bright red Slime Mould on a group of Ash trees. This turned out to be paintball remains!

I’m sure we all have similar experiences. What’s you’re classic mistaken identity?

[Barbara]

Ha ha I like it

Only yesterday afternoon, I was sitting in the garden near a niger feeder and facing the sun when I looked up and saw what I thought was a blue tits head sticking out of the opening of the feeder Oh no I thought a blue tit has somehow got into the feeder and got stuck coming out of it. I was trying to imagine what the poor bird must have gone through. I sat there for a while dreading to take a closer look.

Then the sun went behind a tree and I saw a huge snail covering the full opening of the feeder.............. Well it was very sunny and I had been out in it for a while

[nightshade]

In a covered archway a favoured feeding roost was a large
plum-sized bat slowly rotating wings folded around it.
Lesser Horse Shoe I thought. I had to walk 10 mtrs. to get
near enough to id it and it was a huge clump of cobweb and
dried leaves(I had even changed the battery in my detector!)

[smartie]

I saw a tawny owl peeping out of a hole high up a very old wall on a piece of disused land. After scrambling some distance over broken masonry I got a wonderful photograph of.... another bit of broken stone.

[thwick in 'ead]

A colleague of mine took his now wife birding for the first time. Sat in a hide they were looking out and his wife called out delightedly "Look, a penguin", pointing to cormorant sat on a post. My colleague, a well known birder, wished the floor would open up and swallow him!

[Chris Hawes]

I was looking for snakes in a stream in India, having been told they could often be seen swimming in the shallow water, when I thought I saw one heading downstream towards us. Turned out to be... a banana skin!

[Kymba]

I was showing some friends around the barbican In plymouth and poited out a large Crab on the steps that had been left for some reason by someone.. i was going on how big Plymouth crabs could be.... they were impressed.. But! as we got closer to take a beeter look at it.. it turned out to be a MacDonalds paperbag!!!! 6 years on they still remind me about it at every chance.

[GuyF]

I was at Portland Harbour watching the birds when I saw a black shape moving through the water. It seemed to have a shiny black head and I got excited when I was sure it was moving along. I never thought they had Seals in Portland Harbour, and I was really pleased to see it, however, when it dived my Seal turned out to be wearing an air tank and bright yellow flippers
It's good to read other peoples so I know I'm not the only one!
Guy

[eeyore]

two years back i was out on the derbyshire hils with my then girlfreind when she suddenly exclaimed " oh look a buzzard" she was mortified when i said " erm.... thats a glider "

[FungiJohn]

This was taken only the other day through the kitchen window.

Blue tits nest each year in a box by our back door. I was quite surprised to see this drinking from the bird bath … it’s normally occupied by bathing sparrows and starlings! It was only after the third shot I realised it was the ornament that used to live in doors on a window sill!!! I really must get some new glasses

[andy68]

Many years ago, I momentarily mistook a Canada x Greylag Goose hybrid for a Red-necked Grebe in thick fog, much to the amusement of two friends I was with at the time! It did provide a useful lesson though: fog seriously distorts perception of distance, and can make things look much bigger than they really are.

Andy