Blog Contest Prizes

For my 250th post, I held a contest here on the blog.  That was back in February.  There were 10 multiple choice questions, and one bonus question.

You can see the quiz here: http://foundonthetrail.blogspot.com/2014/02/250th-post-celebration-contest.html .)

We had wonderful participation, more than doubling the number of participants from my first contest at the 100 blog post point.  We went from 3 participants to 8!  Huzzah!

It was a wonderful chance for me to see what the contest winners would pick for their prizes, and to see how the nature photos posted here look in different formats.  All the top scores were put in a hat and the winners were picked randomly for fabulous prizes!

2nd place won the photo magnets prize.  This went to my friend Ashley, who is herself a nature guru.  Here are the magnet photos she picked out, now gracing her filing cabinet at work.  Pelicans, the Jack O'Lantern mushrooms, a bumble bee, and a dragonfly:

Photo courtesy of Ashley - thanks, Ashley!

It should be no surprise that among her top choices for photo magnets, one was the lovely and mysterious Jack O'Lantern mushroom, as Ashley is the maven of mushroom identification.  Here's the original blogpost on those fungi:  http://foundonthetrail.blogspot.com/2012/08/night-adventures.html .

Ashley has her own nature blog, which you might want to check out.  It's on the sidebar in my blogroll.  It's called "Amore Feral Natura".  Here's a link:  http://amorferalnatura.blogspot.com/2014/03/mystery-mushroom.html .  Happy reading, and happy viewing!

1st place - a canvas print - went to my friend Coleen, who has been a walking and photography companion of mine.  For her canvas she selected a winter scene with a couple of dozen eagles perched in a tree:

I wish you all could have won prizes!  It was so much fun holding this contest that I want to hold another one soon, so I'd better get to writing in order to hit the next big number!

Contest Winners!

Dear Readers,

Thank you so much for taking part in my 250th blog post contest, and for your faithful readership of my blog. 

I wish you all could have won a prize.  Each one of you brings joy, interest and color to my life.  Thank you!

We had 8 daring participants, and 5 who earned top scores.  Well done!

The top scoring names were written on sheets of paper, which were folded carefully four times, and put into a bowl.  The names were stirred vigorously and the winners chosen at random.

From among those 5 top scores, our 2nd place runner-up was Ashley V.  Congratulations, Ashley - you are the winner of the 2nd place prize - photo magnets!  :)

And our 1st place winner - the winner of the much-coveted photo canvas - was Coleen M!  Congratulations, Coleen!  :)

Thank you all so much for playing along.  Your participation meant a lot to me.

Ashley & Coleen, I will be in touch with you about selection of your photo prizes.  Congratulations again!

250th Post Celebration Contest

Let's have a little fun!  In honor of my 250th blog post (see last post), I am giving away a free canvas and magnets.

How do you win one of these fabulous prizes?  Take the multiple choice quiz below and send your answers privately to sloughsleuth@gmail.com .  (Please do not post them in them in the comments on this page!)

The person with the highest score gets the canvas, and the runner up gets the magnets - your choices of photos from this blog.  If there is more than one person with the top score, the winners will be chosen randomly by drawing names out of a hat.  

So, read on and send me your answers, and thank you for visiting  my blog!  The contest closes March 1, 2014.

1.  What kind of bird is pictured above?
A.  Blue-footed Booby
B.  Magpie
C.  Song Sparrow
D.  Bobwhite Quail

2.  White kind of tree is pictured above?  (Note the thorns.)
A.  Honey Locust
B.  Aspen
C.  Walnut
D.  Oak

3.  What kind of fish is pictured above?
A.  Minnow
B.  Sturgeon
C.  Rainbow Trout
D.  Swordfish

4.  What insect is pictured above?
A.  Monarch Butterfly
B.  Grasshopper
C.  Dragonfly
D.  Staghorn Beetle

5.  What plant is pictured above?
A.  Jack in the Pulpit
B.  Wild Rose
C.  Wild Raspberry
D.  Pomegranate

6.  What kind of bird is pictured above?
A.  Pelican
B.  Killdeer
C.  Red-winged Blackbird
D.  Grackle

7.  What is the plant seed pictured above?
A.  Acorn
B.  Hazelnut
C.  Milkweed Pod
D.  Pumpkin Seed

8.  What animal's tail is pictured above?
A.  Raccoon
B.  Squirrel
C.  Muskrat
D.  Prairie Dog

9.  What kind of plant is pictured above?
A.  Fern
B.  Wild Raspberry
C.  Poison Ivy
D.  Common Reed

10.  What kind of birds are pictured above?
A.  Cedar Waxwings
B.  Red-tailed Hawks
C.  Tundra Swans
D.  Starling

Bonus question for extra credit!  What kind of plan is pictures above?

A.  Dandelion
B.  Crab Grass
C.  Sedge
D.  Rush

And the Winner Is...

Dear Readers,

Thank you for all of your enthusiasm and participation as you helped me celebrate the achievement of my 100th blog post milestone.  I loved the increased interaction with you wonderful readers.  You guys are great!

Read all about it!  Found on the Trail readers are a special brand of AWESOME!

Thank you to all who entered!  The long-anticipated results are in!

We had two top entries - both scoring 100% on the quiz.  (Way to go!)  At random, in a scientifically controlled process that took place in our kitchen, one person out of that group was randomly selected to receive the much-vaunted prize.

It is, therefore, with great delight that I announce to you the winner of the 100th Blot Post contest for Found on the Trail.  Let it be known throughout the blogosphere that the winner is.... Stacey!  Woot!  Woot!

Newsflash!  Stacey wins the prize!  Hip!  Hip!  Hooray!

Stacey is a long-distance reader, an astute observer of nature, and an intrepid nature adventuress.  Congratulations to her!  She will be receiving five free notecards printed with the pictures of her choice.  Hurray!

Please Enter to Win!

Dear Readers,

So far we have had two submissions for the 100 Posts Celebration contents.  I would love to have many more.  Please take a look at the 100 Posts Celebration post and check out the ten question quiz there.  Send your answers to me at sloughsleuth@gmail.com .

Most of the questions can be answered by looking back in the last twenty-five posts.  Email me or post questions in the comment boxes if you get stuck.  I do give hints!  I would love to have more participants, so please give it a try.

The prize to the top winner will be five note cards printed with the photo or photos of theirchoice from my blog.  If there is a tie, a winner will be randomly selected from the top pool of contenstents.

You still have time to enter.  Submit your entries by midnight on Thursday, September 20, 2012.  Here's hoping that many of you will send in your answers!

Sincerely,
Demeter, the Slough Sleuth

100 Blog Posts!!!

I've reached a milestone here at Found on the Trail.  I've written 100 posts!  Sing!  Shout!  Dance in the streets!

Mr. Robin adds his jubilant voice to the celebration!

In honor of this milestone, and out of gratitude, I am offering a free gift to one of you lucky, lucky readers!!!

Here's how it works.  I will present ten quiz questions below, based on information I've shared in Found on the Trail.  Each reader should submit his or her answers to me, by email.  I will give you one week to complete this task, as some readers do not stop by every day.  Once the deadline is past, I will examine all of your answers.  The person with the highest score will win a prize.  If there is a tie, then one winner will be selected at random from those among that group.

And what is the prize?  The winner will receive five free note cards, with the picture or pictures of their choice selected from the photos published here at Found on the Trail.  Awesome, I know!  :)

The quiz questions await you, below.  Most of the questions are based on the last twenty-five posts.  Remember that  many posts have category labels on them.  This may help you in going back to look up answers.

Please send your submissions to sloughsleuth@gmail.com .

Make comments or ask questions by posting comments to this post, but please send your actual answers to my email.  Thanks!

Thank you for your loyal readership, wonderful comments, and great feedback.  I hope you will continue to read Found on the Trail for a long time to come.  You have made writing this blog so much more fun and enjoyable for me.

Sincerely,
Demeter (aka The Slough Sleuth)
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Found on the Trail 100 Posts Celebration Quiz

1.  Name any animal, that is a member of the order rodentia, that has been mentioned in this blog.

2.  Do butterflies help pollinate plants?

3.  Name one general source for scientific names which have been given to groups of animals or individual animals.  (In other words, where do the scientific names come from?)

4.  Give one name for a type of seed pod dispersed by the wind.

5.  List one principle of Leave No Trace and explain why it is important.

6.  Which animal recently mentioned in this blog is a symbol for Canada?

7.  Which bird, plant or animal in the blog supposedly has properties that make it glow at night?

8.  What bird mentioned in Found on the Trail is known to use "tools" to attract prey?

9.  Name a tree discussed in this blog that has bean-like pods.  

10.  Which critter mentioned here takes one of it's name from the word "trogdolyte", meaning cave dweller?