Great Snipe

[mooncat]

Just had a great snipe in the garden for most of the morning, the wee fat fella was scoffing through the snow with his long beak at either pine needles or something, as he was under the pine trees filling his ample girth. ;-)

[nemosia]

Hi Mooncat, I hope you're right but are you sure it was Great Snipe? The last record for Caithness was of one shot at Rattar 12 September 1919. Get any photos?

[nirofo]

Just had a great snipe in the garden for most of the morning, the wee fat fella was scoffing through the snow with his long beak at either pine needles or something, as he was under the pine trees filling his ample girth. ;-)

As nemosia said, are you sure it's a Great Snipe, they're extremely rare occurrences in the UK. More likely a Common Snipe, (see photo below), there's quite a few around just now with the hard weather forcing them to look for food in strange places. They are trying to feed on road side verges and ditches where the ground is a bit softer for probing with their long beaks, saw one this afternoon by the side of the road, it went under the whin bushes and started probing about.

Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago).


nirofo.

[spurtle]

We have a stuffed great snipe dated 25th Sept 1933, shot or possibly found dead here.
They are an occasional visitor to Caithness, in small groups. Some were seen by a friend of mine near Dunnet in 1998/9, so it is quite possible you had one. I am assuming you know what a woodcock looks like - that would be a more likely visitor to a garden

[nemosia]

We have a stuffed great snipe dated 25th Sept 1933, shot or possibly found dead here.
They are an occasional visitor to Caithness, in small groups. Some were seen by a friend of mine near Dunnet in 1998/9, so it is quite possible you had one. I am assuming you know what a woodcock looks like - that would be a more likely visitor to a garden

Spurtle, Would be interested in info on both the stuffed GS and your friend's record. There don't appear to be any offical records for Caithness in 98/99. PM me with details please.

[spurtle]

Spurtle, Would be interested in info on both the stuffed GS and your friend's record. There don't appear to be any offical records for Caithness in 98/99. PM me with details please.

From the Fur, Feather & Fin edition on snipe/woodcock, of 1904, the following observation :
The great snipe usually met with in the British Isles, being mostly immature birds, have their plumage lighter than thse of adults .... I do not think there is an authentic instance of a great snipe having been shot in our islands later than November.
It was clearly a much commoner bird than now. He also talks of the difficulty of distinguishing a smallish great snipe from a largeish common snipe. They certainly can be quite variable in size. It used to be known as the double snipe, and the French still call it becassine double. From the specimen I have, that would be about right

[Liz]

I think it must have been a Common Snipe which I saw on the path over my house this morning.

What kind of food do they eat? I don't suppose they'd be tempted by the seed I put out for the birds?

I really feel for the poor birds etc in this weather.

[nirofo]

I think it must have been a Common Snipe which I saw on the path over my house this morning.

What kind of food do they eat? I don't suppose they'd be tempted by the seed I put out for the birds?

I really feel for the poor birds etc in this weather.

Hi Liz

Snipe need to use their long beaks to probe in soft ground, mud etc, for worms and other things that live in these places. The ground is so hard just now they'll be looking for any area of open water where there maybe soft mud around the edges, I think they sometimes mistake road surfaces for water. The majority of the probing birds will have made a dash for the muddy coastal areas such as estuaries where there are plenty of worms and all sorts of food available for them. These areas are unlikely to freeze except in prolonged spells of freezing when the coastal sea water temperature drops below -2 C.

nirofo.

[Liz]

Hi Liz

Snipe need to use their long beaks to probe in soft ground, mud etc, for worms and other things that live in these places. The ground is so hard just now they'll be looking for any area of open water where there maybe soft mud around the edges, I think they sometimes mistake road surfaces for water. The majority of the probing birds will have made a dash for the muddy coastal areas such as estuaries where there are plenty of worms and all sorts of food available for them. These areas are unlikely to freeze except in prolonged spells of freezing when the coastal sea water temperature drops below -2 C.

nirofo.

Thanks ever so much nirofo. That would explain why I saw one in a ditch later on.
Here's hoping our feathered friends will be okay during this really cold spell.

[kas]

I am assuming you know what a woodcock looks like - that would be a more likely visitor to a garden

We have a pair of Woodcock in our garden tonight. First time garden visitor for us to our knowledge.

[tom]

We were travelling to Thurso this morning around 11am and saw around 20-30 Common Snipes in a field near Forss on coastal side. Have never seen that many before. Unbelieveable sight. Pitty I did not have my camera!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Typical