Jack on the List
07 Nov 2013
Quantifying the British and Irish passage and wintering populations of Jack Snipe is not easy because of the species' habitat preference, reclusive behaviour and reluctance to fly. Peak reporting in BirdTrack often corresponds with periods of cold weather, when marshland freezes over and birds are forced to feed in more conspicuous locations such as the banks of rivers and streams. One such peak can be seen in late March / early April 2013. However, the scale of this autumn's arrival saw Jack Snipe appearing on 1.6% of complete lists in mid October; whilst this might not seem like a very high figure, it is double the average for the time of year! Records were submitted to BirdTrack from more than fifty 10-km squares each week during the second half of the month. Several sites hosted cooperative individuals; Lackford Lakes SWT, just down the road from BirdTrack HQ, boasted 5 birds on show at the same time, which must be some sort of record! In contrast, the reporting rates for 3 broadly comparable species – Snipe, Woodcock and Water Rail – have been very much in line with the long-term average so far this autumn.
Share this page