Snipe for real

[Nemont]

Hey Moosie,

Just finished this article and thought of you may enjoy the truth about snipe.

July 1, 2004


Critter corner: Snipe no fairy tale
Ryan L. Rauscher
CRITTER CORNER

A memory surfaced the other day while I was driving along an irrigated hayfield. Every few fence posts along the field was crowned with a common snipe (Gallinago gallinago). The sight of a snipe proudly perched on a post reminded me of the times I heard people talk about snipe hunting.

Most Montanans have heard of snipe hunting, the classic prank on the unaware. The goal of the prank is to leave some unsuspecting soul standing alone in a field most of the night holding onto a bag and a flashlight. The hapless victim believes he is waiting for his fellow snipe hunters to drive the elusive, highly prized snipe into the bag. Meanwhile, the pranksters have a good laugh back at the vehicle waiting for the snipe hunter to figure out he's been had.

Contrary to images conjured up in the minds of tricksters, snipe really do exist and are actually somewhat of an unremarkable looking shorebird. The common snipe has pointed wings, a long bill with striped and barred plumage above. They have a striped head, white belly, and rust in the tail. Their eyes are set far back in their head which enables them to see both forward and backward.


These inland sandpipers inhabit moist woodlands, marshes and riverbanks. Snipe are widespread and yet somewhat inconspicuous, perhaps enabling the snipe-hunting prank to develop. Their cryptic plumage helps them to remain concealed. They usually are not detected until they flush abruptly, flying in an erratic pattern and vocalizing. In fact, their common name snipe means to shoot from a concealed place.

Common snipe are migratory in nature. They usually winter just south of the frost line where the wetlands remain open. Some birds winter farther north where warm flows prevent food sources from freezing. The common snipe generally migrates in flocks at night. During the day, the birds scatter and usually feed alone. They seek food early in the morning and in late afternoon and seem to be more active on cloudy days. Snipe usually arrive in Montana from mid-April to mid-May.

Upon arriving at the breeding grounds, the male performs a territorial flight. At about 300 feet above the ground, the male flies a circular pattern and intermittently dives through the air with the outer tail feathers spread at sharp angles to the body. The rushing air over the outer tail feathers causes them to produce a hollow whistling sound. The rushing air is interrupted by rapid wing beats. The combination produces a sound known as winnowing which can be heard for long distances. It is often very hard to spot the winnowing snipe in the air. This peculiar sound and difficulty in spotting the winnowing bird may also have furthered the snipe-hunting hoax.

The female selects the nest site, usually in a grassy meadow, marsh, swamp, or similar habitat. The cup-shaped nest is made of grasses, dead leaves and mosses and is lined with fine grasses. Often concealed by overhanging vegetation, the compact nest provides safe haven for a clutch of four eggs. The eggs are brownish-olive buff in color, marked in dark browns and frequently wreathed or circled in brown. The female alone incubates the clutch for 18-20 days. Both parents actively defend the nest from intruders by performing distraction displays. The young are downy at hatching, and leave the nest as soon as their down is dry. Young birds fledge in about 19-20 days after hatching. Both adults share in brood rearing.

The common snipe are considered vermivorous. During the summer months, their diet consists of insects, earthworms and aquatic organisms. They feed in shallow water by rapidly and vertically probing into the mud with their long, slender bills. The bills are pliable and have very sensitive tips that enable them to forage by feel in the soft mud and water.

Ryan L. Rauscher is a wildlife biologist with Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks in Glasgow

 

[Nut]

Yep,there is a season here. Until about a month ago I had never seen one. I now have and am happy.