Who am "eye"...A guessing game.

[twebster]

Hi y'all

It's been so long since I posted an image in our galleries I almost forgot how to

OK, let's play a little guessing game. I'll give y'all a couple of days for you to identify this eye. I'll give you a little hint: I was photographing warblers in a mesquite tree when this "whatever" jumped up on a branch in front of me. I was using my 500mm f 4L lens + 2x teleconverter and it jumped up almost exactly at my minimum focusing distance of 15'. That's all the hints you are going to get.

Enjoy, my friends

[nephiliim]

Hey Thomas, how are you doing? Long time no see.
I wouldn't know what species this is, it doesn't look like anything we have in the Netherlands.

All the best and good to hear from you

Tom B

[DaveW]

No idea as to species, but I would say its a one eyed owl!

DaveW

[rjlittlefield]

Hhmm... I keep looking for a "Tiny Tom" in the reflections in the eye, but I haven't spotted him yet.

Roadrunner, perhaps?

--Rik

[Carl_Constantine]

judging from the fact that you can see part of the mouth near the eye, I'm going with some sort of Owl but I'm not up on technical names like you pros. I know it's an owl.

[twebster]

Well, someone has it right already...but I ain't gonna tell you who yet Keep the guesses coming. Maybe y'all can refine it some

As for a "Tiny Tom" in the reflection, I may be too far away. Remember, this was shot from 15'. I will say that the brightest reflection is the setting sun through some leafless mesquite trees.

Enjoy

[MacroLuv]

Owl usuallay has more yellow eyes in my opinion and more round eye frame (not arrowy angle) with softer and brighter plumage around the eyes so I will bet on roadrunner.

P.S.
Besides, Rik is mostly always right.

[DaveW]

I was having difficulty deciding if it was a front on view of the head or a side view. I thought front so plumped for Owl, but if it is a side view somebody else got it right. plus as I have not got my speakers connected on this computer I could not hear if it said To-wit To-woo or Beep Beep!

DaveW

[Carl_Constantine]

Besides, Rik is mostly allways right.

Now that's cheating!

[beetleman]

I`ll say beep beep...or is it more like meep-meep

[nephiliim]

I did not know that these swift fellers had such beautifull bright yellow rings in their eyes.

All the best,

Tom B

[rjlittlefield]

Bear in mind guys, that I don't know diddly about birds. You've got me convinced that it's an owl!

--Rik

[nephiliim]

LMAO hahhahahahaha

[rjlittlefield]

You've got me convinced that it's an owl!

Aarrgghh!! I can't stand this!!!!

Tom says "Maybe y'all can refine it some", but the Peterson guide says there's only one roadrunner. And somebody else said it's an owl, and Tom said somebody was right...there's gotta be a clue in here somewhere... Yeah, it's gotta be an owl!! But which owl???

So I search Peterson's, and I search the Internet, and I try to match the pictures...and I can't make them match up...it looks like a roadrunner, doesn't look like an owl...

Then I notice that some yayhoo bird photographer named Tom Webster has his roadrunner labeled as a "greater roadrunner". Hhmm... And Wikipedia says there are two roadrunners, one of which lives in southern Mexico....
Hhmm....

More Internet searching finds numerous pictures of the Lesser Roadrunner, which seems to have a larger and possibly more intensely colored patch behind the eye...

Awright, that's enough, I quit -- I'm just gonna go for it!

"Greater Roadrunner. (Final answer.)"

--Rik

[MacroLuv]

Uhhh Uhhh This is turning into Agatha Christie's quest!