Did you spot it in this morning’s photographs? Here it is, with Stephen’s notes continued from the earlier post (click photos to enlarge):
3. Here it is.
4. 700mm:
Here’s the snipe!
May 7, 2017 • 11:00 am
3 thoughts on “Here’s the snipe!”
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What an amazing head-shape and bill. I had to look-up more. This from Wikipedia:
“The sensitivity of the bill, though to some extent noticeable in many sandpipers, is in snipes carried to an extreme by a number of filaments, belonging to the fifth pair of nerves, which run almost to the tip and open immediately under the soft cuticle in a series of cells. They give this portion of the surface of the premaxillaries, when exposed, a honeycomb-like appearance. Thus the bill becomes a most delicate organ of sensation, and by its means the bird, while probing for food, is at once able to distinguish the nature of the objects it encounters, though these are wholly out of sight.”
Amazing. The artcle also notes that the shape of the bill allows the snipe to keep the tip closed whilst slurping up invertebrates.
Respect.
Fascinating!
Did not get the first one. Oh, well.