Dear all
wondered if you could help me, after walking alonf the river in surrey yesterday I came across a wading bird that at first i could only see as it kept getting spooked but i hid for a while and it came back and I identified it as a snipe. However i am very new at this and when i got back to check in my book i realise that i didnt take the obious details to decide if it was a jake or common snipe. it was feeding in the mud and was bobbing up and down. I was viewing it from a distance but i would say it was thrush size. can anyone help, which one was i more likly to see, its stripes seemed to me at the time to be orange?
thank all
Hi Athena,
It's never easy to make an identification, when the bird is at a distance.
The Jack Snipe is smaller than a Snipe with a shorter bill.
It is also a secretive bird and when approached it tends to crouch down, relying on its camouflaged plumage, only flying at the last minute.
It will fly low and rapidly drop down again, unlike snipe which zig-zags and then flies off high.
There are other differences between the two, Snipe are skulking birds but often feed in the open, Jack Snipe almost never do. They tend to keep to the depths of deep vegetation in very wet places.
The main habitat of Snipe, tends to be marhes, estuarine salt marshes, bogs and reed beeds.
The other possibility was it was another wader, Dunlin, Turnstone, Sandpiper, Redshank etc
but if you are certain about it been a Snipe then in my opinion it would be a Snipe (common).
Hope this helps Buzzard
Nature Is Amazing - Let Us Keep It That Way
It is most likely to be Common Snipe, these are much more 'common' (as you would expect) than Jack Snipe, Common Snipe are bigger (not always much help unless you see them both together) but the real give away is the much longer beak of Common Snipe.
Either way, they are fantastic birds especially if you can get a good close up view.
"Feed the birds, tuppence a bag" Mary Poppins
I would agree with ND, thats its most likely to be Common Snipe, The Jack Snipe is very secretive and often has to be flushed or almost stood upon before you'll see them. Much to may dismay. Know of four sights locally and not been lucky enough yet !!
Thanks all
I went back again today 2 more, this time I saw them from behind and one was next to a morehen. It was about the third of the size of the morhen. when i got closer the two snipes flew down the river a bit but as i followd the river i kept seeing them again but then they would fly off down the river again. if there wasnt a blanket of snow I would not have seen them at all unitll they flew off. another birder told me they were snipes (common i guess he meant) which would confirm the feedback I have had, but now i cant help thinking they were jacks because of their behaviour.
i will have to go back tomorrow with a camara but i dont think i will get close enough.
thanks again for your help