Friday, March 20, 2009

First Day of Spring - Quiz Bird

To celebrate the first day of spring I made a quick stop by the Horseheads Marsh (aka, the Holding Point) this evening. Two things crossed my mind as I pulled in: it's wonderful to drive home in not just daylight, but sunlight, followed by how deceptive this spring day was. Bright and sunny, but breezy with a temperature in the upper 30*s (F).

One bird surprised me when it flushed from under my feet as I walked the railroad tracks between two pools. As it flew it took a few seconds to process the fact I had a camera and I should "shoot" it.

Here's the view I had. Can you identify it? (Click the image for a larger version.)


Quiz Bird
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5 comments:

Nate said...

Great shot! That's not a view you see very often.

Love those racing stripes on the back.

noflickster said...

Nate - Thanks! I have to admit, I'm pretty proud of this shot, especially given how little time I had to get the shot off. I don't know that I've ever really seen the tail in all my previous encounters (that is, a lot of time seeing snipe, just not the tails). The reddish color surprised me.

-Mike

Anonymous said...

Would it be a Wilson's snipe?

noflickster said...

Yes! Jan_m got it: the bird is a Wilson's Snipe, to be featured in an upcoming post. Horseheads Marsh, by the way, is a decent place to encounter them: last year in early spring I stood on the "hump" and listened to the winnowing of at least one snipe.

Anonymous said...

Mike, I don't really get credit for that one. I found another way to come up with the answer besides a field guide.....Did you sense the guilt emanating from my neck of the woods?
In my defense, why isn't the Wilson's snipe included in my Peterson's Field Guide, copyright 2002?
Did I mention that it's a beautiful photo?

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