Sunday, March 23, 2008

Snipe Hunting Anyone?



I’ll interrupt the Florida series to post an unusual bird I captured today.

While checking out a wetland on our family farm I flushed a small flock of birds which I thought were woodcock. I thought it unusual for woodcock to be in this grassy wetland. These birds flushed, flew a short distance and dropped back into the wetland. As I approached it was nearly impossible to see them as they sat very still. Fortunately I did manage to pick out a couple of birds in spite of their excellent camouflage.

While working with the photos I realized that these were not woodcock. A trip to the bird guides informed me that they are Common Snipe.

10 comments:

Lori Schmidt (LoriProPhoto) said...

Thanks so much for your recent visit to my blog, not much happening in my neck of the woods so I am a bit behind in my posts and havent been catching up with my blogging buddies' doings either.

What you found out about this bird is something that I have found that I have really enjoyed since taking up photography. I will see a strange caterpillar, or bug or bird and will do a bit of research online and find out all about them. The Monarch Butterfly and caterpillar and their link to the Milkweed plant being one, and the Hawk moths, hummingbird clearwing moths, being just two of them.

It is strangely satisfying when you positively identify something that you have captured.

Please thank Mrs. Salty for her visit to my blog too! LOL

Lori

Andree said...

Oh I love those snipes. Every late spring, two return to my beaver bog. One on each end (and I assume, they have assignations at some time!), talking incessantly to each other. Occasionally one or both will drop by my yard and I quietly photograph them. I love their talk.

Willard said...

I'm glad to see that you had shootin'!

I didn't think about snipe either. I just always assumed I was looking at woodcock when they had the long bill like this!

Anonymous said...

Your snipe picture brought back a lot of memories for me. The photograph is good, and detailed, and really goes to show that I did look in earnest, about 65 years ago for a "snipe" in John Hanes' woods. I never found it, of course, so I didn't get the dollar the bigger boys offered me or anyone who found one. So the snipe remained elusive all of these years and a kind of mythical thing from my past.

Have a nice week.

Abraham Lincoln in Brookville, Ohio

ASHE said...

Good thing you got photographic evidence, people might not believe you had a successful snipe hunt, otherwise :)

Great capture, I've never seen this bird before except in pictures.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Salty: I would have thought it was a Woodcock. We used to hunt Woodcock in the cornfields when I was young. I like Abe thought a Snipe hunt was just a joke.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Salty: I would have thought it was a Woodcock. We used to hunt Woodcock in the cornfields when I was young. I like Abe thought a Snipe hunt was just a joke.

Tom said...

We to have both the Woodcock and Snipe.. both can be hard to come across if you are setting out to look for them. More often than not I come across them by accident.

If I was to say to someone local "I'm going to the 'Snipe' today". They would know that I have been a mile or two away to a big Shopping and Industral area called the 'Snipe Retail Park'.. the sad thing is, it is built on one of the last areas we had locally to see Snipe. There is also a 'Pub' down the road called the Snipe as well. All this and it is now rare sighting in these parts.
I enjoyed the post and reading others comments.

Tom

Kerri Farley said...

When I was a child, I remember the next door neighbors playing the "snipe hunt" trick. How fun to be taken back to childhood!

I don't know that I have ever seen one of these guys before. Great post!

Wolf Lover Girl said...

Snipe?? I thought they were a myth? My dad told me as a teenager they would take others out to go "snipe hunting". huh!

~ Wolf Lover Girl