Click here to go to the third page
on this snipe. Click here to return to the first page
on this snipe. Update: March 29, 2004: added
new shots from today of delicata in flight, plus more standing
images of the presumed gallinago, at the bottom: Update: March 28, 2004: added
new shots from today, at the bottom: Update: March 27, 2004: added
some comparative pics at the bottom: Update March 27: Comparisons:-
below is a Common Snipe from Bahrain in March:
images of Common Snipe G. gallinago, courtesy of
BIRDING WORLD
magazine -
Israel:
Hong Kong: Note that in Siberian birds, the width of the white
tipping on the secondaries is very variable, with a number of
birds having much narrower tips than that normally seen in European
birds; also the flanks often lack the brown wash seen on European
birds.
Below, the Fort Worth bird is the second image, placed
in-between the above images (each adjusted slightly to simulate
the effect of the FW photo):-
Wilson's Snipe (G. delicata) courtesy of Dennis Paulson:
Below I've made the delicata pics fuzzy (actually fuzzier
than the pics of the FW bird), for a different comparison:
Update: March 28, 2004:
added a new pics from today:
The image below is from March 26 and reveals a number of
interesting elements:- note the large feathers protruding on each
side of the tail-base; they look (based on pattern and shape)
rather like outer tail features that are not-yet fully-grown?
if so, then their widths seem well beyond that expected for delicata,
and fine for gallinago; if they are not retrices, what
type of feather are they? Also, note how dark the inner part of
the wing looks (keep in mind that from detailed examination of
the standing bird, the wing coverts were a mixture of fresh (mainly
lessers) and old/worn (mainly medians) feathers; finally, the
white trailing edge to the secondaries does not narrow noticably
towards the outer end, and seems to thicken slighty at the inner
end:
March 29: here are three Wilson's
Snipe photographed at the same site today, but in bright sun,
which tends to exaggerate the paler zones in the underwing (all
the photos of the presumed gallinago were taken in dull
cloudy conditions which give the most neutral effect on the dark/light
areas): delicata A) with the presumed gallinago (right)
for comparison:
note below on the delicata (left image) the slightly thinner
and less even white trailing edge to the secondaries, the longer
toe projection beyond the tail, and the paler median covert band
in the inner wing, compared to the presumed gallinago (right):
delicata B) with presumed gallinago (right) for
comparison:
delicata C) with presumed gallinago (right) for
comparison:
More perched images of the presumed gallinago from March
28:
Note the pattern of the tertials:
