Jack snipe

My survey today involved following a preset transect over some marshy ground. It didn't look like anything particularly special but as I walked I started flushing jack snipe from under my feet. In the end I counted 16 birds in a relatively small area. Just shows what is out there but hidden.

Jack snipe of course differ from common snipe in that when they fly it's silently and only for a short distance before dropping down again, whereas their larger cousins tower high into the sky calling, and zigzag away from you.