The legendary, and often mythical, bird of summer camps and camping trips and sleepovers with friends, cousins, and older siblings . The Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) is anything but mythical. How many still thought the bird to be a myth, occupying imaginations and only visible at night by flashlight and special chants? It is secretive and solitary; it likes damp, muddy habitat where vegetation provides it cover. So, here it is and I managed to see one again this year without the necessary pillow case, burlap bag, or flashlight. Not sure why this one is posing in this manner, it certainly did not like a couple of Yellow-legs being too close. Perhaps there was a male Snipe around, but it is doubtful breeding season is still in full swing. Anyway, the pose is interesting and certainly more so than the bird just standing there. So, the next time you are instructing someone in Snipe hunting, at least you can describe what the bird looks like.
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