Its taken me years to nail this little bugger,
Got finished at work for 1400hrs so it was a choice of a christmas drink in a nice warm pub or a trudge around Soil Hill in the fog, rain and mud, no contest, heres my Soil Hill report.
The hill was well waterlogged and treacherous to walk on without sinking in but despite the rain and swirling fog it was calm with not a breath of wind.
Before I go any further I,ll just say that NK had searched the hill late morning and seen Jack Snipe and 2 small birds on the mounds, one being a Skylark and the other avoiding I.D. See Queensburybirder report.
About 30 minutes of me trudging around found nothing until I approached the back of the mounds where ,presumably the 2 birds of Nigels, took off, both being Skylarks.
After covering the whole of the 2 summits ,only to find 1 Meadow Pipit and a few small gulls heading for Ogden, I decided to do a sweep of the long grass in an area that I had walked past previously. This was an unpleasant job, up to the knees in soaking grass, I can see why Nigel wears spats now, but half way along whilst I was looking over the wall into the next field I heard a wing flapping which immediately stopped a few yards away , the bird had come out of hiding and dropped down again a short distance away in true Jack Snipe fashion.
I started to get the camera out as I walked towards the position when up it came, Jack Snipe. It was all panic then to get the camera on and find it in the lens as it flew low over the mounds and into the mist and all I ended up with was a few blurs in the low light and mist but at last Id conquered a bogey bird .
Its years since Ive managed Jack Snipe up there even though NK gets yearly sightings and this winter period he,s broke his all time record with 10 sightings, I think it must be his aftershave attracting them.
Merry Christmas all.
BS