Monday 4 July 2011

Common Snipe



A couple of photo`s of a Common Snipe that was conveniently perched on a post during my recent trip to the Nene Washes, RSPB. A picture that I have taken before, but never tire of doing so.

The Common Snipe is more commonly refered to as the Snipe and is a bird with an unbelievably long bill. The bird is extremely well camouflaged due to its delicately barred and streaked back, very useful for a ground nesting bird. They breed on moorland bogs and wet pastures in upland areas and in fenland and marshes in the lowlands. In winter they can be found in almost any lowland marshy place, both near the coast and inland.

The breeding habitat for Snipe has been reduced over the centuries as the wet grasslands, fens and bogs have been drained and `improved`. The number of breeding Snipe in lowland areas has fallen by 77% in recent years. This number has been reversed slightly on the Nene Washes, an area that is vitally important to this bird and, thankfully still holds fairly good numbers of this beautiful wader.

23 comments:

  1. And a photo I never tire of looking at. Thanks, John.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Brilliant shots John.
    Never seen a Snipe that clear and exposed before on a photo.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Excellent shots of a beautifully marked bird John.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Glorious shots. Great work.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi John,
    Thankyou very much.
    J

    ReplyDelete
  6. Hi Roy,
    Thankyou. I have seen a Snipe perched like this before, again on the Nene Washes. A lovely bird!
    J

    ReplyDelete
  7. Hi Rob,
    Thankyou for your kind words.
    J

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hi Tim,
    Thankyou, although they are nothing compared to your photos!
    J

    ReplyDelete
  9. I love them, your Common Snipe is another that I have photographed, yours is brilliant.

    ReplyDelete
  10. The clarity of these photographs is stupendous, and, of course, I always appreciate the information you give about the birds you are photographing. So distressing to think of a 77% decline of this beautiful bird.

    ReplyDelete
  11. And a question for you: can you share what the camera was that you used along with the scope?

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love these two.stunning images.
    Top notch Digiscoping.
    John.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Thanks Frank, you are too kind!
    J

    ReplyDelete
  14. Hi Bob,
    Thankyou. The Snipe is a bird with special memories for me, so I always enjoy seeing them.
    J

    ReplyDelete
  15. Hi Susan,
    Thankyou. It is distressing to see that these birds have disappeared to the tune of 77%, but their figures do appear fairly stable now, so fingers crossed!
    As for the camera, I use a Canon Powershot A640, it is an old camera and cannot be bought brand new, but is frequently available on ebay ( where I got mine from). It is just a point and shoot, but has various settings, such as exposure, shutter speeds etc. Worth checking out and I was told by a friend of mine that it is one of the better cameras to use for Digiscoping.
    J

    ReplyDelete
  16. Hi John,
    Thankyou, I try my best! ;)
    J

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wow! Really beautiful photos John of a very attractive bird. You sure know what you're doing when it comes to digiscoping, I've heard it is pretty difficult!

    ReplyDelete
  18. John, I know why this bird stands one leg - because it would fall over if it didn't!
    Click here for Bazza’s Blog ‘To Discover Ice’

    ReplyDelete
  19. Sir Tom Eagerly, says:
    So this is where Bazza goes to spread his awful jokes! I can't tell the difference between a crow and a hedgehog but I do like your photos old boy. Well done you!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Hi Jan,
    Thankyou. It is not that difficult, if I can do it, anyone can! You haven`t seen the hundreds of photo`s that I have binned! ;)
    J

    ReplyDelete
  21. Very drole Bazza, very drole! ;)
    J

    ReplyDelete
  22. Crikey Sir Tom!
    I am extremely humbled and honoured to have a member of the aristocracy visit my humble blog! I hope you enjoyed the trip!
    J

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for taking the time to comment on my humble blog.