Jack Snipe?

[pcbjs31]

Hi all

I'm pretty new to all this & not very knowledgeable when it comes to our feathered friends. I love to see them but couldn't name anything that wasn't a 'common' garden bird.

In our garden we get the regulars - Blackbirds, thrush, sparrows, bluetits, long tail tits, green finches & gold finches, but yesterday we had a visitor & had never seen before, let alone give it a name.

After talking to a keen bird watching friend she suggested it could be a Jacksnipe. Have looked searched the web & it definately looks like it.

Is this a bird normally a garden visitor?

Linda

[squishy]

that would be quite a garden visitor! can you give us a description?

they do not normally visit gardens, no

[Hedge Witch]

I was just reading that one was seen at Ally Pally in London in December 2006:
Alexandra Park - Londonbirders

I was surprised by this. I guess they might turn up all over the place in winter

[JeffH]

Hi Linda and welcome to WAB,

May I ask why you think it may be a Jack Snipe as opposed to a Common Snipe? And perhaps you could describe what it was actually doing in your garden as this may be helpful as well.

As squishy says, neither Jack nor common Snipe are normally garden visitors.
Having said that, however, several years ago and during a cold spell (with snow on the ground) such as we are experiencing at the moment, we had a Common Snipe in one of the fenland drainage ditches running along the boundary of our garden - so nothing is impossible

Jeff
(Schedule 1 Licence holder for Kingfishers and Barn Owls)

[nakedgardener]

There's no reason why a snipe, or jack snipe shouldn't turn up in a garden, especially in this cold frosty weather.

I had snipe breeding in my garden in Scotland (It was a wee bit wet!), it was lovely to have baby snipes running around in hte hebaceous borders.

[Veracocha]

I am a member on another forum (photography) and one member has posted a picture of a Woodcock in their garden. Bold as brass just sat out right in the middle.

[pcbjs31]

As I mentioned previously it was an ornatholigist friend who suggested the bird from the description i gave. She did say as we're not too far from a Nature Reserve, she didn't think it was improbable.

Anyway was about the size of a pigeon, had a long thin beak about 3-4 inch long, a speckled breast like a thrush, brown in colour with a stripe on it's wing. It flew fast.

It was sitting on my lawn with it's beak to the ground.

Linda

[JeffH]

Hmmm, interesting Linda. The overall size ("pigeon") and the bill dimensions you give seem to rule out Jack Snipe as that is the smallest of the Snipes being no bigger than a Starling and with quite a short bill of only about 1 1/2 inches long.

Common Snipe seems much more likely to me, with the larger examples of this species being close to the size of the smaller feral pigeons and with a bill of about 3 inches.

Did the bird give a call on taking flight? Also, did it zig-zag on taking off? These would be further indicators of Common Snipe, as would be a white trailing edge to its wings.

I hope that helps

Jeff

[pcbjs31]

Hi Jeff

The size was more comparable with a feral pigeon as opposed to a woodpigeon.

I've got photograph my husband took through the kitchen window, not of the best quality, but hopefully the experienced maybe able to pinpoint what it is.

If I can work out exactly how to post it here, I will.

Linda

[JeffH]

Originally Posted by pcbjs31

Hi Jeff
The size was more comparable with a feral pigeon as opposed to a woodpigeon.
I've got photograph my husband took through the kitchen window, not of the best quality, but hopefully the experienced maybe able to pinpoint what it is.
If I can work out exactly how to post it here, I will. Linda

That would be good Linda.

Jeff