When you think of the words drumming and wildlife you may conjure up a woodpecker pecking at a tree or a hare thumping the ground with his big feet. However did you know that snipe do their own kind of drumming? In the spring, male snipe can be heard giving their ‘drumming’ or ‘bleating’ display to try and attract a mate. During the breeding season they are best looked for on moorland where they fly high in circles and then take shallow dives to produce a drumming sound by vibrating their tail feathers.
Common snipe- Neil Smith
These wading birds have short legs and long straight bills with a mottled brown appearance. When flushed they fly off in a zig-zag pattern to confuse predators. They are widespread as a breeding species in the UK and in the winter birds from northern Europe join resident birds here.
Well that’s it for our twelve days of Christmas instalment of blogs, hope you’ve enjoyed them!