Wilson’s Snipe, Ridgefield, WA National Wildlife Refuge
Remember the goofy Snipe Hunts that you were encouraged to partake in at summer camps? Often they took place at night and involved a large sack, a club and a flashlight. They were never successful; they were always a ruse. Those who went on them were considered gullible.
Sometimes I think birders are on a lifelong Snipe hunt, searching for elusive avifauna in difficult-to-access wild places. The search for the Ivory-billed Woodpecker comes to mind. But here’s the good news: Snipe hunts can be successful – especially when you go during the day time, lose the bags, clubs and flashlights, and instead visit a marsh or moist field with a good pair of binoculars.
Yesterday on a tour of Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Washington, we saw four Wilson’s Snipe. One of them paused long enough for me photograph it (see photo above). These remarkable shore birds are stocky in stature with an oversized bill and distinctive head stripes. They are common across North America in wet grassy areas. In some ways they are a good subject for an impossible hunt, because they are so well camouflaged to blend in with their dense wetland surroundings.
Wilson’s Snipe eat invertebrates in the mud with their long bill, including insect larvae, worms, crustaceans and mollusks. They nest on the ground, and have thatched nests that are often near water.
During breeding season (now), Wilson’s Snipe make a haunting winnowing sound, often heard at dawn and dusk. This sound helps them establish territory and attract potential mates. It is made by the wind whistling past their outstretched tail feathers after they first fly up and then descend rapidly. I will never forget hearing this haunting sound repeatedly at Malheur National Wildlife Refuge in southeastern Oregon, another great place for Snipe hunting.
So don’t give up on Snipe hunting. Contact me if you want to see one, along with many other interesting birds in the wild.
Sources: Cornell Lab of Ornithology: http://www.allaboutbirds.org; The Sibley Guide to Birds, David Allen Sibley
