Jack at Night

The Jack Snipe has a reputation among birders for being one of the most elusive waders in Britain. Small, perfectly camouflaged and incredibly trusting of its own disguise, it often sits tight in wet, tussocky meadows. Most encounters happen when one suddenly bursts from almost under your feet — usually when you’re halfway across a boggy field wondering if anything is there at all.

Traditionally, seeing one well has required a fair amount of luck. However, modern birding tools such as thermal imagers have made locating them a little easier. These devices can pick up the heat signature of birds hidden in dense vegetation, allowing you to find species that would otherwise remain completely invisible. It also opens up the possibility of searching for them at night, when they are often more active and not tucked away deep in the grass.

On Saturday night, a friend and I decided to give this approach a try. We walked slowly around a boggy field, scanning with the thermal and picking up several Common Snipe along the way. Eventually we located the smaller, flatter heat signature we were hoping for — a Jack Snipe.

To our surprise, the bird proved to be incredibly obliging. Rather than disappearing instantly into the vegetation, it stayed out in the open and allowed us to watch it at close range. It even performed the species’ famous bobbing motion, gently rocking its body up and down as it fed. For a bird that is normally so difficult to see well, it was easily the best views I’ve ever had of a Jack Snipe.