Do you remember playing with a jack-in-a-box as a child? You pressed a button and up popped jack, the puppet, to bounce on a his spring. I was reminded of this toy this afternoon when watching another bouncing jack at North Hide.
The jack in question was a jack snipe. In fact, not one jack snipe, or even two, but three jack snipe. Smaller cousins of the more familiar common snipe (of which at least 20 were also visible from North Hide), jack snipe are notorious for bouncing, or at least bobbing. They crouch on bended knee and bob continuously. It's thought this bobbing action may aid camouflage in shallow water - though strangely it's this very movement that actually helps birdwatchers to spot them as they are so well camouflaged that they can be very difficult to spot.
Jack snipe look very similar to common snipe but are smaller (only really obvious when they're stood next to each other) with a shorter bill and subtly different markings. (The bill is less than 1.5 times the length of the head, while on a common snipe it's at least twice the length of the head.) The best ID features are the head markings. Jack snipe lack the pale central crown stripe of their commoner cousins and the pale supercilium (or eyebrow) splits into two just in front of the eye - this split supercilium and short bill are clearly visible in the picture below.
Jack snipe (above) and common snipe (below) both by Jon Evans
Jack snipe are winter visitors to the UK, and most frequently seen at Minsmere whilst on migration, particularly in October and again in March and April. Their discovery on the Scrape today coincides with a notable passage of redwings in Suffolk, including at least 30 with a fieldfare in North Bushes this morning. Waxwings appear to be moving back east, too, so keep an eye open for these locally, though none have been reported at Minsmere yet. The two smew were still present at Wildlife Lookout this morning and eight goosanders on Island Mere - no doubt these winter visitors will soon be heading back west. Likewise the two Bewick's swans that flew northeast at dawn - did they roost here, or were they already heading towards the Netherlands.
Of course, the gorgeous sunny weather has brought a lot of spring wildlife out too. Adders were reported again this morning, and I spotted a beautiful comma butterfly on the Adder Trail today. I think a brimstone butterfly was reported over the weekend too. A firecrest has been seen in the Rhododendron tunnel again, and the odd chiffchaff is singing (I saw one in my neighbour's garden this morning so they are moving inland too).
Out on the Scrape, Mediterranean gulls reached a peak count of 16 this morning, black-tailed godwits increased to 24 and avocets are fluctuating between about 50 and 70 birds. The volume from the black-headed gulls is increasing daily too. Other birds reported on the Scrape today include Caspian and yellow-legged gulls, turnstone, dunlins and the usual duck species. It is also nice to see a couple of the islands on West Scrape carpeted in yellow coltsfoot flowers.
Coltsfoot by Ian Barthorpe
Bitterns, bearded tits, otters and marsh harriers continue to be reported daily at Island Mere.
What other migrants will arrive this week? The first sand martin, wheatear or stone-curlew perhaps, or even a garganey?
Jack Snipe are not good to watch through a 'scope for any length of time I've found. That continual bobbing up and down makes you start to bob in sympathy and feel seasick! :-)
Glad the Adders re-appeared today, they were strangely absent at the weekend. Mrs WJ was particularly offended they didn't come out to say hello :-)
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