Gallinago delicata

Birded the Arcata Bottoms this morning before the rain set in (rain?! what is this trickery??) and managed quite a few species out there in the pasturelands. There were several sandpipers, including a fairly unexpected Wilson's Snipe. These birds are very skittish--once they see you, they're outta there. Somehow I snapped off a clear picture of this one right next to the road, through some wire fencing, before it scuttled off to cover.

The genus Gallinago contains 16 snipes worldwide--Wilson's Snipe is the only species in North America. In 2003 it was separated as a species from the Common Snipe of Europe. The two look very similar, differing primarily in the number of tail feathers.

Wilson's Snipe is a quirky bird. It winters throughout much of the lower 48, then migrates farther north to breed. A male and female will pair and nest together on the ground, laying a clutch of four eggs. When the first two chicks hatch, the father takes them off with him to raise alone. When the second two hatch, the mother raises those chicks by herself as well. The family never meets again after that.