Christmas Quiz - please read post 1 before replying!

[RoyW__]

I was prompted to set a quiz on another forum, and thought that you guys might also like to have a go at it.

It's on wildlife not just birds - but most birders 'dabble' in other groups that that see while they are out and about.


Please don't post answers on this thread - other people might like to have a go, and sometimes it's hard not to notice answers that others have posted (which makes it a bit like finding someone has filled in half the answers in a crossword that you're keen to try!).

Feel free to PM any answers that you have to me - it's interesting for me to see what people make of the questions - and I'll post answers after the new year. The questions aren't intended to be easy but hopefully they'll be fun for anyone with a bit of time to kill (does anyone have any of that over Christmas?).

[RoyW__]

The questions...


CHRISTMAS QUIZ.

There are five rounds of 12 questions, with one point available for each question. Bonus points available in the final “seasonal” round can potentially increase a perfect score to 100 points though.
All answers refer to British wildlife, or the places where it may be seen.

I apologise in advance if there are any errors in the questions or answers!






Round 1.

Crossword style clues.
All answers are wildlife that may be seen in the UK. The number of letters for each answer is given, but not the number of letters for each word that the answer may contain!

1. Backwards friends’ tame animal is a curiously shaped moth. (6)

2. Make the point first when raising a glass and saying a few words for this fierce predator. (5)

3. A garden bird in winter, breeding in conifers where a silicon covering might provide protection from the needles! (6)

4. Butterfly requests silence surrounding the temperature of a shopping precinct. (10)

5. Could partial burning secure a solution to sort out this agricultural weed. (8)

6. Bird the French initially hunted for fashion in Victorian times. (11)

7. Poisonous growth in the countryside - a result of a hated mix preceding common agricultural policy. (8)

8. Looking for a striped invertebrate, Pa got confused with a couple of directions - Peter Parker followed but lost the man. (10)

9. Found hiding in marshy areas there is no end to the marksman tailing the young Esox lucius without a weapon. (9)

10. An honoured quest, our monarch, though commonly considered to lack warmth - and perhaps a malicious person? (5)

11. To many "a bug" perhaps? Sounds like the result of a 1960s pop brawl. (17)

12. Resident on heathland and coasts, a mustelid takes in methane and a noble gas, with hydrogen mostly exhaled. (9)







Round 2.

Anagrams.

The solutions to these anagrams are, again, all wildlife/places that could potentially feature in WAB threads. To make it slightly easier I've told you the broad category each answer would fit into (vertebrates, invertebrates, plants, or places). All letters are used but ignore any punctuation that I may have added - and no I'm not going to tell you how many words each answer consists of, or how many letters in each!

1. DOES MAID NEED BELL? (invertebrate)

2. NICE STOPS! (plant)

3. PROPER CHANGES GROOMS MEN. (invertebrate)

4. WARTS? WHERE? (vertebrate)

5. KIRK: "SHE BRED DACE!"(vertebrate)

6. DUO'S BASIC LIFE. (plant)

7. RASH FUEL MODEL. (invertebrate)

8. EGRET NEST DREW CAT! (vertebrate)

9. LETTING TEN SING. (plant)

10. LADS ARE FINNS. (place)

11. THREATEN WAR ON HER! (vertebrate)

12. MOLE ATE BEAN END. (invertebrate)








Round 3.

Odd one out.

One of each of the four sets below lacks a 'characteristic' that the other three all share - which one, and what is the link between the other three.

The link between the others can be anything, and as there may well be links that I've overlooked you do need to give a reason why your choice is the odd one out (1/2 point for the species if it is the intended one - or if your alternative reasoning is good, and 1/2 point for the reason).

1. DARTFORD, CAMBERWELL, LEWES, SANDWICH.

2. RED KITE, CAPERCAILLIE, CORNCRAKE, CIRL BUNTING.

3. COMMON BUZZARD, TWO-SPOT LADYBIRD, SMALL RED DAMSELFLY, ARCTIC SKUA.

4. ELM, HAWTHORN, BUCKTHORN, OAK.

5. COMMON LIZARD, SMOOTH SNAKE, SAND LIZARD, GRASS SNAKE.

6. GREAT SALTEE, TROUP HEAD, SKOMER, BEMPTON CLIFFS.

7. GREY SEAL, BLACK RAT, COMMON SEAL, HOUSE MOUSE.

8. WILLOW, ALDER, COMMON REED, GREATER REEDMACE.

9. SIX-SPOT BURNET, COMMON WASP, SMALL TORTOISESHELL,
YELLOW MEADOW ANT.

10. GREEN HYDRA, COMMON SEA SQUIRT, BIRDS NEST ORCHID, LILY-OF-THE-VALLEY.

11. WATERCRESS, RAINBOW TROUT, PHEASANT, HONEY BEE.

12. ALDERFLY, STONEFLY, DAMSELFLY, MAYFLY.







I'll post rounds four and five later - once I've worked out how to attach the photos in the thread.

[RoyW__]

Round 4.

The picture round.

All of the questions refer to the species in the photograph, but in some cases the answer that I’m after may not be a simple identification. ½ point for each part where there are two parts to the question.

Oh yes…
I may have indulged in a beer or two while I was preparing this round last night so I apologise if this has somehow affected the quality of the “finished” image after processing in Photoshop. Colour balance and contrast might be a bit “off” in some of the later images, and I’m sure that I didn’t always find the right filter when I tried to apply a little sharpening! I’m sure that this won’t cause any problems for all you clever people though!

1. One of my favourite bird species.
What name, linking it to another bird, was sometimes given to this species in the past – and why were the two associated with each other?



2. (a) What is the species? (b) If this was photographed in the UK, which (if any) of the four photos could be used on their own to identify the species, to a reasonable degree of certainty without reference to any other features?


3. Identify the species shown in the photo.



4. What species, and where do the immature stages live?

[RoyW__]

5. Four sparrows, two widespread in Britain but declining, and two extremely rare vagrants – but one doesn’t fit in properly with the others. Which one doesn’t belong, and why? (It’s nothing to do with geographic origin or differences of any age or sex).



6. Name the species, and the continent(s) it is native to.



7. What does the photo show? (exact species not required – but I’m open to suggestions!).



8. (a) Identify the species. (b) Which photo, if any, doesn’t go with the other three? (I may have accidentally included a photo that does not belong with the others – so it may be best to base your answer for part (a) on just three of the photos).

[RoyW__]

9. (a) What species is shown? (b) What wild colour forms might you see in the UK?



10. Give the species and its typical habitat.



11. (a) Name the species. (b) What is the larval food plant?



12. Identify the species and state where it make its nest.

[RoyW__]

Round 5

The seasonal round!

The questions follow the same styles as the previous four rounds, but as well as a wildlife subject there is a Christmas/seasonal link to each question or answer (sometimes a fairly tenuous link!).

There are also a number of bonus questions. These are linked to the question that they follow, and may not be wildlife related - try and answer the bonus questions without reference to sources like the internet. (You do not have to correctly answer the question the bonus question is linked to before you answer the bonus questions - but in some cases it will definitely help!).
A maximum of 40 bonus points will be awarded, even though there is the potential to score more, giving a total of 100 points possible for the whole quiz. Wrong answers for the bonus questions may mean points deducted though - so watch out!


Crossword style clues

1. A wisemans gift placed before Christs first sleep - named twice as a little king. (9)
Bonus question: List the people traditionally placed in nativity scenes.

2. Prickly companion joining Ivy in Christmas song is a novice in an association with God. (5)
Bonus question: Name the UK Christmas number one singles Sir Cliff Richard has sung on.

3. I bet you mingled with Father Christmas, losing nothing and leaving with what sounds like cosmetics admired by mothers. (5, 6)



Anagrams.

4. BEEN SAINT NICK’S SLED PICK? (vertebrate)
Bonus question: Santa Claus (Saint Nick) is now thought of as wearing a bright red outfit with white trim. What wildlife that might be seen in the UK can you name that has a similar colour scheme? (preferably mainly a bright red rather than orange and with at most only a trace of other colours other than white – though for flowering plants you can discount foliage)

5. ODE T’ THEE SNOWBALL. (vertebrate)
Bonus question: What are the main ingredients in a “Snowball” cocktail?

6. HE BELT THEM SO FAR! (plant).


Odd one out.

7. SIBERIAN BLUE ROBIN, AMERICAN ROBIN, RUOUS-TAILED ROBIN, RUFOUS-TAILED SCRUB ROBIN.
Bonus question: Excluding the above, name as many bird species as you can which are on the official “British Ornithologists Union” list of birds recorded in Britain and have “Robin” in their name – or in a name that has previously sometimes been used for the species.

8. GEESE, PARTRIDGE, CRAKES, SWANS.
Bonus question: Which three other birds could I have given as alternatives, whilst still keeping the same Christmas theme?

9. NORWAY SPRUCE, MISTLETOE, IVY, LAUREL.



Pictures

10. What species and where in the UK might you see this species living in a “wild” state outside of an enclosure?

Bonus question: If this one was helping Santa Claus with his deliveries on Christmas Eve what might its name be?

11. Most of us rarely see a white Christmas nowadays, but when it does snow as well as causing problems for the birds it can be a problem for birdwatchers because binoculars and camera lens can fog up.
Thousands of these come to the UK each winter – but can you make out enough detail to identify the species from this photo taken with a fogged up camera lens during a snow storm? (hint they are both adults of the nominate race).

Bonus question: Name as many animals or plants with “snow” in the name that you could see in a “wild” situation in the UK as you can (words derived from “snow”, such as “snowy”, are acceptable).

12. Robins are now traditionally associated with Christmas in the UK. Is this one a male or female – and how can you tell them apart in the field?

[RoyW__]

A couple of corrections (sorry!).

Round 1,question 11 should read guest, not quest.

Round 5, question 4; the answer you are looking for is vertebrates.
Round 5, question 5; the 'D' is not required (it sort of fits but does not give thre correct name).

Sorry - should have known I'd make mistakes.

[aquila 1]

Sorry roy is this not just a bit heavy for a pre- christmas quiz. best regards mac

[Little Sparrow]

Great fun!!! Google will be red hot on my PC.lol!!

Thanks for setting the quiz Roy!

[RoyW__]

Originally Posted by aquila 1

Sorry mike is this not just a bit heavy for a pre- christmas quiz. best regards mac

Nothing to do with Mike, Mac (though he's welcome to have a go!).

The questions are there for anyone who wants to have a go, either before, or after, Christmas. No one has to try to answer all (or any) questions - eg. if you like anagrams but not cryptic clues you can try just round 2.
I won't post any answers until after the New Year begins, so anyone who wants to can come back and have a look at anytime. I've asked for answers not to be posted just in case people do come back to try and find answers themselves - I will answers questions though (by PM if it might give the answer away).

I did say that it's not intended to be easy - it's there for anyone who does like a challenge. If no-one wants to have a go, or if I'm asked not to post answers until the end of January because people want more time to try, when they are less busy, that's fine!