Category: spot the nightjar (and other beasts)

Here’s the fourth cat!

August 3, 2025 • 10:00 am

Did you find the fourth cat in this morning’s picture?

I’m not absolutely sure about this. But I’ve circled what looks like a tail, and some people say in the original post that the other part of this cat (the head) is behind the top right cat. At any rate, the top left cat cannot have two tails, and that orange bit I’ve circled is stippled like a tabby, and is not similar to the orange bits in the rest of the cover.

I may of course be wrong, but this is my best guess.  And of course there might be only three cats. The camouflage is clever, of course.

Find the duck!

June 30, 2025 • 8:00 am

This is a good one for beginners, as I think it’s pretty easy. There is a duck in this photo, and it happens to be mother Esther. Can you spot it? Don’t tell others in the comments where it is lest you spoil their two seconds of fun, but you can say whether you found it. There will be no reveal because it’s an easy spot.

There are in fact several ducks in this photo, but i know that only because I was there. If you think you see them, you don’t.

Spot the pentatomid

June 7, 2025 • 7:40 am

Reader Bryan Lepore sent a “spot-the” picture that I consider difficult. As he says below, what you’re looking for is a pentatomid, a member of the Hemiptera family (“true bugs”): Here’s his caption:

I just spotted a cool “stink bug” on my driveway, thought I’d take a photo survey for you – here’s one:

Can you find it? If you do, just say in the comments you have, but please don’t give the location away so that other readers have a chance to look.

The reveal will be at 11:30 am Chicago time.

Spot the flies!

June 2, 2025 • 9:00 am

Reader Gregory sent us what may be the hardest “spot-the” photo ever.  There are two flies in this photo, but I’ll let Gregory describe the scene:

While kayak camping on the Kansas River this weekend, we were entertained by the energetic searching of a spider wasp (Hymenoptera: Pompilidae) seeking a spider to paralyze and oviposit on. However, following the spider were small flies, which turn out to be satellite flies, a subfamily of Sarcophagidae (flesh flies). The larvae of the flies are kleptoparasites and feed on prey captured by solitary wasps like the spider wasp. So the adult female flies were following the spider wasp to lay their eggs on the paralyzed spider and use it for their young.
There are two flies in the photo.

Good luck. If you find them, just say so in the comments but don’t tell people where they are! As I said, this will take some searching, so I suggest you enlarge the photo.   The reveal will be at 11 a.m. Chicago time.