A compilation of the best FieldWorkFails! Please tell me in the comments if I forgot good ones (last update : february 16)
edit : also a lot of Fails here collected by Anne Hildorn
Trawling for marine plastics while seasick. Vomit overboard. Into trawl. Vomit now part of samples. #FieldWorkFail pic.twitter.com/Rv1Wbv5sk0
— Max Liboiron (@MaxLiboiron) 21 Décembre 2015
Can’t find valves for the inflatable boats. Order more overnight. They’re sent to Fiji. You later find them IN the boats. #fieldworkfail
— Jacquelyn Gill (@JacquelynGill) 6 Novembre 2015
#fieldworkfail when you trip over your elephant food trays and face plant into elephant dung. #elephantpsychologyresearch
— ThinkElephants (@ThinkElephants) 26 Décembre 2015
Collecting fossils on cattle station, cattle only see humans when being fed, Prof had to drive through them to get me #fieldworkfail
— Alison Dann (@aldann) 26 Décembre 2015
Cleaning and surveying giant clams, slipped, dropped the clam, caught it but, dropped myself into the ocean in the process. #FieldWorkFail
— Paige Occeñola (@ohnopaige) 26 Décembre 2015
#FieldWorkFail The day a juvenile lemon shark did a biopsy of my finger while I was handling it for a DNA sample pic.twitter.com/Ro6KpA7CGZ
— Johann MOURIER (@SharkMourier) 27 Décembre 2015
During night surveys found an injured deer. Fetched large knife to finish it off. Had to explain large knife to police at 3am #fieldworkfail
— Dr Rob Thomas (@RobThomas14) 27 Décembre 2015
Was arrested by Soviet military during Ph.D. ornithological research in former USSR due to report that I was a Western spy #FieldWorkFail
— Sergei A. Polozov (@SergeiPolozov) 27 Décembre 2015
#FieldWorkFail need pic of a giant anteater. Hides into a thornbush. I follow. Ouch. I Step into a wasp hive. +ouch pic.twitter.com/G5eJwDJMjB
— Andres Felipe Garcia (@afgarcialo) 27 Décembre 2015
When you ‘kill’ your entire team by accidentally opening all airlocks of simulated Mars habitat in the Utah desert #MDRS #FieldWorkFail
— Zahra Khan (@zeikonline) 27 Décembre 2015
Positioned 20 camouflage-painted wren roosting boxes around the University of Sussex Campus. Caused major security alert #fieldworkfail
— Dr Rob Thomas (@RobThomas14) 27 Décembre 2015
Frut eating bat pooped into my eye while trying to take photo. I feel like the worlds weirdest seed disperser! #FieldWorkFail
— Stanimira Deleva (@StanimiraDeleva) 2 Janvier 2016
20 July 2015: learned that I’d much rather fall neck deep in water, than neck deep in mud #fieldnotes #fieldworkfail
— Đamien (@RuBisCo19) 30 Janvier 2016
Getting stuck in a hyena hole when trying to follow and collar a #cheetah is a major #fieldworkfail luckily only took 5 min to get out tho
— Helen O’Neill (@hmk_oneill) 10 Novembre 2015
Just gonna gently beach this boat while I run to the truck. No anchor needed. #fieldworkfail #ghostboat pic.twitter.com/cR9vXuPBuI
— JD Schooley (@DirtyDog650) 9 Décembre 2015
Smashed a tick, squirted tick guts into my eye. #fieldworkfail
— Liz Bergen (@BergenLiz) 21 Octobre 2015
Forget to sedate the cheetah next to the holding box, then cheetah wakes up while you’re carrying it. #fieldworkfail pic.twitter.com/n4qRTcoLsN
— Jane Horgan (@jane_horgan) 21 Septembre 2015
Out taking photos of owls, see one on a pile of rocks. I sneak up & shoot it & later realize it’s plastic owl to scare birds. #FieldWorkFail
— lenny garza (@lenny_garza) 11 Septembre 2015
Dropped phone to a deep hole in the ground. Spent rest of the day digging it up. #fieldworkfail #ETnophonehome pic.twitter.com/VJevh66eii — KMO Archaeology (@KMOArchaeology) 7 Août 2015
forgot to remove the grass in front of a camera trap… 2000 images of grass waving #fieldworkfail
— Ryan Scott (@ryanscott66) 15 Août 2015
Italian customs destroyed ++precious biological samples labeled “gamma” shared with partners, thinking they’re radioactivity #fieldworkfail — Thierry Oster (@ThierryO57) 18 Août 2015
Dr. B climbed a 35+ foot pole with an #osprey nest on top TWICE only to find the young had left the nest #fieldworkfail
— Summer Higdon (@sumdawg) 1 Septembre 2015
That moment when you’re itchy and realize your bra has been full of leaf detritus all day #fieldworkfail — kinglet749 (@kinglet749) 3 Septembre 2015
When your “whoop” to locate your partner in the bush is answered by an actual hyena whoop #fieldworkfail @GTitcomb — Roland Kays (@RolandKays) 30 Août 2015
My worst #fieldworkfail ended up with me running around a Ugandan forest almost naked after standing on an ant nest to measure a tree — Mark Reed (@profmarkreed) 25 Août 2015
Get dengue fever. Try following monkeys anyway. Hip feels broken. Become delirious. Write in elvish all over field pants. #fieldworkfail — christopher schmitt (@fuzzyatelin) 31 Juillet 2015
While out on an archaeological survey, found someone’s marijuana farm instead #fieldworkfail — Pam Richardson (@PammieJR) 14 Août 2015
When not one, not two, but THREE people accidentally drink gasoline meant for the back trench generator. #fieldworkfail — Liz Quinlan (@Liz_McL) 20 Août 2015
2012: Cleaning Leopard scat for dietary composition. Friend finds peanuts in his sample. Realise that ‘scat’ was human feces. #fieldworkfail — Avik Banerjee (@Wilder_nerd) 12 Août 2015
Need to cross river. Jump. Miss. Wet as a drowned rat. No spare clothes. Scramble up bank. See bridge 40m away round a bend #fieldworkfail — Little Miss Enigma (@littlemsenigma) 4 Août 2015
-> fieldworkfail illustrated here!
An unnamed colleague at night:A leopard’s attacking me! Later they find domestic cat clinging to roof http://t.co/r9QNnokr7D #fieldworkfail — Aditya Gangadharan (@AdityaGangadh) 31 Juillet 2015
1987 dig in Amman; we hear scream & loud thump from PI in lab. He’d just taken out a camel spider w/3000-yr-old stone mortar. #fieldworkfail — Fenbeast (@Fenbeast) 4 Août 2015
When you’re transporting your samples home, & 65 vials of elephant blood explode in your suitcase on the plane #fieldworkfail — Carrie Cizauskas (@CarrieCizauskas) 3 Août 2015
Invest in camouflage blind to observe feeders. Learn suburban birds are far less scared of my red car. #fieldworkfail #ormejustsittingthere — Alayne Fronimos (@AlayneF) 13 Août 2015
-> fieldworkFail illustrated here!
Site near border: Being suspected as disguising detectives Facing real drug traffickers Getting delayed by hidden bombs #fieldworkfail — จับฉ่าย (@i_pry) 4 Août 2015
field assistant stopped coming after I said I didn’t want to marry him & live in 200-person village 4ever #fieldworkfail #distractinglysexy — Lennikins (@Lenni825) 4 Août 2015
Released a goldfinch “Mr flappy” that was immediately captured by a falcon in front of 24 horrified middle school girls #fieldworkfail — Jeff Stratford (@JeffAStratford) 31 Juillet 2015
-> fieldworkfail illustrated here !
Long detour to avoid elephant herd. Success! Wait why are those 2 big grey ‘rocks’ next to us moving? http://t.co/LibQcMJ6RF #fieldworkfail — Aditya Gangadharan (@AdityaGangadh) 31 Juillet 2015
Send a drone up to examine abandoned eagle’s nest only to find pissed off eagles and chick. Lose drone. #fieldworkfail — lenny garza (@lenny_garza) 12 Août 2015
-> fieldworkfail illustrated !
Senior colleague sent me out to collect a dinosaur fossil he’d found. “But don’t dig too much, I took a dump there”. #fieldworkfail — Dave Hone (@Dave_Hone) 3 Août 2015
Playing wounded buffalo calls to attract lions. Accidentally play AC/DC back-in-black. Deafening guitar riff = no lions #fieldworkfail — Simon Dures (@SimonDures) 4 Août 2015
Once I got very excited to find some bones in a trench, thinking it may have been a midden, then the KFC wrapper emerged. #fieldworkfails — Andy Baader (@PostAntiquarian) 4 Août 2015
-> fieldwork fail illustrated here !
Followed howler monkey to tree hiding a helicopter pad and pile of AK-47s– found drug running camp. #fieldworkfail — Monkeygeography (@monkeygeography) 8 Août 2015
-> Fieldworkfail illustrated !
Decide not to measure baby birds until I come back. Two hours later there are no chicks but a 1.5 snake inside the nest #fieldworkfail — Felipe Campos-Cerda (@SrTrogon) 1 Août 2015
When only thing preventing your jeep flipping sideways into 50m valley is 3 field assistants pushing from other side,its a #fieldworkfail — Aditya Gangadharan (@AdityaGangadh) 31 Juillet 2015
#fieldworkfail When you go behind a bush to relieve yourself and almost pee on a sleeping lion. — Leolupus (@Leolupus79) 31 Juillet 2015
Try measuring testis size of vervet monkey. Become distracted because warthog is eating shoe. Foot is still in shoe. #fieldworkfail — christopher schmitt (@fuzzyatelin) 31 Juillet 2015
Set padded leghold trap near house for jackal. Catch lion. #fieldworkfail — Rosie Woodroffe (@RosieWoodroffe) 31 Juillet 2015
following an elephant on foot, trying to dart. Wind changes, he smells us. Running from elephant as he is now following us #fieldworkfail — Amanda Lee Salb (@amandalee_salb) 8 Août 2015
Spent an hour guiding lost baby turtle to the sea with 3 tourists watching. 30 secs after reaching the water, a fish eats it. #fieldworkfail — John Conlin (@Herbington) 4 Août 2015
Put a moray in the freezer after thinking it was dead. Moray opened the freezer and started slithering away. #fieldworkfail — Jacob S. Harrison (@jshar06) 9 Août 2015
Staring through my binoculars to count invasive #parakeets roost @ #NATO headquarters. Getting arrested by security team. #fieldworkfail — Diederik Strubbe (@DiederikStrubbe) 8 Août 2015
Game camera set to capture wildlife using culvert, only captured tourists peeing. #fieldworkfail — Nalani Ludington (@Nalani_Lud) 9 Août 2015
first time catching baby gators. PI gives me a paddle when I get out of boat. I ask what for. he says “in case mom comes.” #fieldworkfail — Stacey Lance (@DrSLancelot) 4 Août 2015
While camping in Borneo for 6 wks and realizing you had been digging a toilet close to the trail camera the technician set #fieldworkfail — melissa hawkins (@treeshrew13) 9 Août 2015
When your field assistant goes in for a fecal sample & gets stuck in the contracting elephant rectum #fieldworkfail pic.twitter.com/LczeQ38hgB — Carrie Cizauskas (@CarrieCizauskas) 3 Août 2015
While brushing my teeth one night in jungle, a bat landed on my head and pulled my hair. Ducked & covered every night after #fieldworkfail — Gina Cherundolo (@AnthropoloGina) 6 Août 2015
-> this fieldworkfail is illustrated here !
brushed hand against #DonaldTrump caterpillar’s hair, lost all sensation in left arm for 24hrs #fieldworkfail pic.twitter.com/f3OK9N47YA — Joe Parker (@Pselaphinae) 2 Août 2015
Feb’13: Walked 2kms through desert scrubs to survey the one digitised house on a 5km² grid. ‘House’ was an abandoned cowshed. #fieldworkfail — Avik Banerjee (@Wilder_nerd) 8 Août 2015
village porters drink remaining water to lighten packs, return to village takes way too long = dehydration hallucinations = #fieldworkfail — Christina Ellis (@CEoutandabout) 8 Août 2015
Trying to survey Bats at 10pm, forget head torch, fall face first into a river holding my mist net. #fieldworkfail #bats — George (@Geesaurusrex) 8 Août 2015
When the mysterious boundary stone in the woods you painstakingly measured in turns out to be a solidified bag of cement #fieldworkfail — Johan Verspay (@JohanVerspay) 7 Août 2015
When you spill pheromone solution on yourself and become the sexiest damn Tanner beetle in all Skåne #fieldworkfail #distractinglysexy — Caroline Ponsonby (@LeFunambulist) 4 Août 2015
-> illustrated here !
“Sank the boat in the middle of a crocodile survey. Twice.” Scientists share their #fieldworkfail stories! https://t.co/8JfTYouO3W — Loop (@Loop_Network) 7 Août 2015
Suited up to approach an angry beehive, trapped biting safari ants inside the suit…#fieldworkfail #Kenya — Tara Easter (@TaraSkye12) 6 Août 2015
-> fieldworkfail illustrated here !
While giving an impromptu on-camera talk to students about blue whales a bird pooped on head #fieldworkfail — Ctr4BioDiv Oceans (@EndangeredOcean) 6 Août 2015
Tried to turn the car around after going the wrong way, ended up getting it stuck between two trees #fieldworkfail pic.twitter.com/ZdYFouIp46 — Kayleigh O’Keeffe (@KOKeeffe12) 31 Juillet 2015
It was too windy not to secure the toilet paper in our toilet tent. #fieldworkfail pic.twitter.com/sWkKELdD38 — Rebecca Dean (@Rebecca_M_Dean) 31 Juillet 2015
When you are collecting cheetah poop and drop some on yourself. #fieldworkfail #distractinglysexy pic.twitter.com/RvgHfauQ6P — Anne Hilborn (@AnneWHilborn) 30 Juillet 2015
-> fieldworkfail illustrated here !
When your drugged zebra finds the ONE tree on the Namibian plains, which also has a neck-height fork #fieldworkfail pic.twitter.com/2iUx2uxGNB — Carrie Cizauskas (@CarrieCizauskas) 3 Août 2015
Caught in thunderstorm, ditched metal auger to be safe. When I got back remembered I was wearing GPS backpack with 3m aerial. #fieldworkfail — Frank Swain (@SciencePunk) 31 Juillet 2015
Skillfully applied thousand dollar satellite tag to manta ray. The same manta ray I tagged yesterday #fieldworkfail pic.twitter.com/xHR1agskar — Dr. Alistair Dove (@AlistairDove) 31 Juillet 2015
Accidentally pee on a Jaguar´s marked tree. Get chased by the jaguar for 3 weeks, might sound exciting, actually quite scary #fieldworkfails — Angela Maria Bayona (@AngelaBayonaV) 3 Août 2015
Lick tiny object to discern if fossil/rock. Fossil. Sticks to tongue. Coughing fit from dust. Sharp inhale. Swallow fossil. #fieldworkfail — TSV (@tattoosandbones) 31 Juillet 2015
Baboons stole our last role of toilet paper and used it to decorate a very very high tree. #fieldworkfail — Dr Marissa Parrott (@drmparrott) 4 Août 2015
Monitoring curlews from my car. Neighbours calling the cops because of a suspicious man with binoculars… #fieldworkfail — Anne Guichard (@anneguichard) 6 Août 2015
Accidentally glued myself to a crocodile while attaching a radio transmitter. #fieldworkfail — Agata Staniewicz (@AgataStaniewicz) 30 Juillet 2015
=> Fieldworkfail illustrated here !
Spent full day climbing up reed forest in monsoon to setup camera. Camera died 24h later. Last photo: #fieldworkfail pic.twitter.com/mX9LMB9mEc — Aditya Gangadharan (@AdityaGangadh) 31 Juillet 2015
Looking for nesting turtles on dark beach – sound in bushes – light on – oops – light off as nude couple dash for forest #fieldworkfail — Mark Hamann (@turtlesatJCU) 4 Août 2015
When you accidentally punch through the skull of a juvenile beluga carcass and get rotting brain on you #fieldworkfail #fieldworksmells — Kelly Eldridge (@ossiferous_ak) 6 Août 2015
