Snipe Hunt

A "snipe hunt" is a North American prank, assigning or sending a newcomer off on an impossible task.  What is not realized is that snipe exist. Today I went on a snipe hunt and returned with photographic evidence of success.  The photo shows a pair of Wilson's snipes foraging for invertebrates with their long bills in the muddy shoreline. Snipe are secretive birds, and after a few minutes they flew into the grass closer to me and disappeared.

Met a birder at this location this morning (Prescott Mill subdivision wetland, bounded by U.S. 30, Wolf's Crossing Road, and Harvey Roads in Oswego).  He advised he'd seen snipe, dowitcher, greater yellowlegs, and other birds I'd never seen before, so returned in the afternoon for more favorable light for a snipe hunt.

Northern Illinois is at the southernmost tip of snipe summer breeding territory, or these could be birds migrating south.  There were about 500 Canada geese, 50 American coot, 40 northern shovelers, mallards, lesser yellowlegs, and killdeer at the wetland.