Snipe sightings increase as water levels near normal
From the Jan 30 edition of the weekly Wildlife Sightings column for Observer series of newspapers.
During Sunday morning’s driving rainstorm I watched four snipe feeding in the shallows of a large pool from the Ramsar hide. The sun was back this morning when I spotted 13 snipe opposite the Scrape hide. The return of these stripey, well camouflaged waders confirmed what I had witnessed on our water level gauges around the site - levels are returning to normal. During the high waters in January snipe sightings dropped off from the high numbers staff recorded in November and December. Snipe feed along muddy banks in the shallows and high water swallowed these up, pushing the snipe deeper into the reedbed and out of sight. Its nice to see them front and centre although you really need to look as their buff markings blend them right into the reeds.
This morning I startled a snipe in our Wildlife Garden while it was feeding in the muddy low ground. He must have moved around this way during the floods. I have never seen a snipe there before!
The sunny weather today has the songbirds in fulI voice. In the mix I hear dunnock, mistle thrush, wrens, robins and Cetti’s warblers singing during my morning walk. A large flock of goldfinch move through the trees of the Woodland Loop with four siskins tagging along. I spot goldcrests and long-tailed tits as well. Yesterday I heard a great spotted woodpecker drumming away.
The firecrest are back, too. WWT Wildlife guide Lizzy saw a firecrest pair at the crossroad and down the long path on Saturday. Lizzy reports hearing and seeing lots of water voles as she takes visitors out on the boats this week. The water voles are feeding desperately and trying to restock the food stores destroyed when their burrows flooded in January. The shortage of fresh food in mid-winter has lead to the voles trespassing on each other territories, resulting in fights. “I have the squeals of lots of angry water voles this week.” Lizzy said.
