These were so much fun. I’ve uploaded some awful photos but this thread brought to mind 2 especially.
First of the season https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/153089604
and this one is clear but an unfortunate angle. I know what it is because I watched it for a while. It’s a real challenge to ID from the photo though. Flew away before more photos could be made. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/65015279
Probably this one like. Oof, it was twilight and I was just like, not prepared. At least it was mildly in focus for the second shot
Oh, I have an even worse Great Horned Owl observation than yours!
At least I had some equally terrible audio recordings to go with the 3 terrible photos, to help with ID.
It’s one of those flying cats!
oh man, that’s actually worse than mine. Bravo XD
I think I actually had some audio recordings of this obs, I just didn’t uplaod them with the photos for whatever reason. The hoots are how I realized there was an owl in the area in the first place
EDIT: Thinking about it, I’ve got some pretty godawful photos of pileated woodpeckers too - I always hear them or catch a glimpse of them flying, and then have to chase them and try to catch a pic of them while they hide behind trees
This isn’t the WORST pic but this was the best pic I got after 15 minutes of playing peekaboo with him and his mate. https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/155548547
Are you sure that’s not an IWBO?
Alas, not enough white on his wings in flight. I was crushed. Devastated. Imagine, little old me, rediscovering the Ivory Billed Woodpecker in a tiny city park in Ohio.
It would be life changing
insert dramatic fist-clench, a single tear rolling down my cheek
/s
(seriously, though, i laughed <3)
Interworld Boxing… maybe. 
Intensely Watching Birds Outside, I’d say it counts!
Your original:
AI (Gigapixel) upscaling and tonal tweak:
A little ‘plastic’ looking, but I was frankly surprised that it pulled out what it did. Your original was already ‘upsampled’ 400% so I took it back down before applying the AI stuff.
I love this picture. Girl this is nothing. Girl this is pixels. Why I would even attempt to photograph a springtail with my (5 year old) phone is a mystery for the ages.
Most of my bird pictures are frankly terrible as well but I think this is the ugliest. Worst part is I’m sure I have better photos of sandhill cranes somewhereee on my phone which I forgot to upload… They’re not exactly uncommon, but alas, as of now this is my only obs of them.
I think this beats my previous one:
is that a seed? a hair? i don’t even know…
‘Obviously’ Hirundinidae.
Okay so I think this beats my great horned owl pic. But I’ve been seeing this guy for DAYS and I’ve somehow been unable to get a better picture because the moment I grab my DSLR he flies off.
So crappy phone pic it is. We’ll see if it actually hits research grade LOL
Probably this American goldfinch. It was my first time observing it and I forgot to point my phone camera towards it… The result was a cropped image from the corner of a live photo with terrible quality.
A runner up is this Mourning Dove cropped from a photo on a far away rooftop.
Got too many crappy ones back when all my observations were taken with my phone. Many are of course birds, but here is a different one that sprung to mind (also featuring a well-known iNatter who sadly is no longer with us):
https://www.inaturalist.org/observations/21343859
cringe at the red circle edit
