If you are like me, you’ve never seen one. They don’t exist you know. At least that’s what I grew up believing. My older cousins once took me out “snipe hunting” when I was in grade school. After that, I KNEW they didn’t exist.
Well, today I actually SAW one! Deanne and I went out picture taking in the snow and ice today, and I decided to take her over to the place where I saw the Red-tailed Hawk and the Killdeer.
There it was… a type of bird that I was not familiar with — long thin beak, striped body, white belly, and brownish tail feathers. After shooting a few pics, we went over to my parents where we got some cocoa and had a look at their bird book. There it was… a Wilson’s Snipe. The DO exist after all!
Determined to get away from the office at lunchtime on this cold (24 degrees!) and sunny day, I grabbed the camera and drove to a favorite spot, about a mile away.
There was a little bird there! A Killdeer was drinking from this semi-frozen puddle and it appeared to be pecking at insects in the edge of the grass.
After shooting several pics of this one, another one came by. I assume it was her mate.
He was slightly taller, and stayed really close, like he was on guard duty. (Tough guy, huh?)
Here are a few interesting things I’ve learned about these beautiful birds: They are members of the Plover family and are very territorial. They are monogamous, keeping the same mate each year. They even appear to walk in unison!
These birds do have pretty good camouflage. Do you see the Killdeer in flight?
Interestingly, this is the exact same location that I shot this bird!
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