For the first time we have got cameras set up on some of the snipe nests on the reserve. Otmoor is the only place in central England where these well camouflaged birds with ridiculously long bills breed. They seem to be doing very well on the reserve and we're putting a lot of effort this year into finding the nests and monitoring their progress. Due to their secretive nature there are still a lot of unknowns regarding snipe behaviour. We're hoping to catch some interesting footage on our cameras; even seeing the chicks hatch out would be great. When the chicks hatch, 2 are taken and looked after by the adult male and 2 by the adult female so it would be really good to catch this happening. Snipe use their long bills to probe into soft, damp mud looking for insects and so at the moment we are releasing water from the northern phase of the reedbed to bring up the water levels in the areas the snipe are nesting and feeding in.
Photo 1: Well hidden snipe nest
Photo 2 & 3: Images from the nest camera of a well camouflaged adult female snipe sitting on the nest shown in photo 1