Common Snipe

The snows have returned, along with a large number (I counted 25 in all) of Common Snipe. We have seen a few this Winter but never in such numbers. Despite their name, Common Snipe are a comparitively rare sight for most, being largely a bird of open moorlands and wetlands. However I suspect the recent cold weather and snow has mean't they have had to vacate their usual habitats in the search for food, which is mainly insects and small invertibrates which they dig out with their long beaks.


The snow also signalled the return of our local Fieldfare, who has taken up his usual station on the rockery!