Birds and Nature

  I have an area in Canon City that Wilson's Snipe find good for foraging.  I was surprised recently to watch one of them 'bouncing' up and down on it's legs repeatedly as it foraged not too different than the foraging behavior of American Woodcocks.  I checked Birds of North America online which indicated this was done, "apparently to startle prey into moving."  Top pic is darker as it was overcast while sunny for bottom pics.  SeEtta

I found this Wilson's Snipe working in a drainage ditch (actually what is called 'return flow' ditch for return of excess irrigation water) on private property in the Canon City area. This was before our recent cold spell that froze much of the water in this ditch. SeEtta

Here are the rest of the photos of the Wilson's Snipe I found in the flooded fields in Florence this week. I like the top one as it shows just how well this species can be camouflaged when lying down in a field. The middle two pics show the back plumage which is boldly striped and the short organge tail. The length of the bill is also clearly seen. The bottom pic shows off the bold stripes on it's head. Again, double-click on each pic to enlarge (and then you can click again to super enlarge the pics). SeEtta

Though I usually find Wilson's Snipe in the Canon City, CO area in most winters, I couldn't find any this past winter which though mostly warmer than usual had a significant cold spell with consecutive well below zero temps (more than 15 below). I suspect that the snipe in these pics migrated into the area this week. I found 3 Wilson's Snipe foraging together in the flooded fields in Florence a few days ago. They were sharing this area with migrating Lesser and Greater Yellowlegs and Snowy Egrets that I posted about below. The snipe in the middle two pics raised their tails after disturbed by a flock of Starlings and appears to be a defensive or agonistic behavior. In the bottom pic the snipe has it's wings raised up out of the way that shows well the extensive barring on it's flanks. Do double-click on each pic to enlarge them for close-up views. SeEtta

While at the Canon City Riverwalk this morning I caught a glimpse of a bird about 25 feet away fly a short distance that apparently flushed at my presence--ah, yes, a Wilson's Snipe. I inadvertently flushed it again while I took a few photos--not because I got too close as I actually moved slightly further away (and slowly) as I tried to get a clear shot of the bird. Apparently it wouldn't tolerate my being able to see it without the foliage that provided it with some cover. SeEtta