How to find and count Jack Snipe

 

 

 

I was talking to someone today who asked a simple question-''-what do birds look like using this thermal imager you're always banging on about?''
I realised with a start that indeed I've been mentioning using the thermal imager a lot over the winter period and most people will never have looked through one--so here goes.
We have used the imager a lot at night and the results are remarkable in terms of finding birds like Skylark, Fieldfare and Woodcock. However, we've also been using it during the daytime especially for finding, counting and ringing Jack Snipe, which are one of the most difficult species to census.
The following picture shows a typical patch of prime habitat for Jack Snipe to roost in during the day:

 

Believe it or not there IS  a Jack Snipe roosting on the ground in this picture!! But their plumage brilliantly matches the plants and they sit rock still to avoid detection by predators. If you can spot the bird you must have magnificent eyesight!!

 

Now here is the same patch of land a few minutes later photographed through the thermal imager:-

 

 

 

 

The bright white spot is the Jack Snipe. The smaller head is to the left and the fatter body to the right. The imager picks up the heat radiated from the bird's body --the vegetation is grey/black because it isn't generating heat. Birds stand out  best on cold dull days because as the vegetation heats up with sunlight it starts to glow white and the birds are much more difficult to find.

On suitable days it is possible to scan the area in some detail and count the number of roosting Jack Snipe more easily than any other technique.

 

Just to prove it was a Jack Snipe. a split second later the bird decided to take off:-

 

 

Just to remind you of what a Jack Snipe looks like and why they blend in so well with the vegetation in the top picture. We have photographed this one against an atypical background of dead leaves so you can see it more easily.....:-



 

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