Netherlands - common snipe or jack snipe? (1 Viewer)

[Iksu]

It was in a small group together with a few common snipes, size is difficult to tell because it's partly hidden but the line on its back seems to be a lot more distinct than the other common snipe. Jack snipe is a bit rarer here but wanted to check just to be sure

Thanks

 

[DMW]

Looks like a Jack Snipe indeed.

 

[smiths]

It is a Common Snipe: it has vertical barring on the flank, not longitudinal striping.

 

[TheBlackGrouse]

When they are together (which is rare) you immediately notice the difference in size, even when it's partly hidden.

Once I say two of them flying together when counting migrants. The Jack Snipe looked like a young Common Snipe, being smaller with a shorter bill. It made use of the wind advantage the larger snipe produced and probably it was more safe too.

The first thought of the extremely experienced watchers (not me, I'm no expert in flying migrants) was a young Common Snipe. Then everybody started to think... of course it's impossible in september but it took some time... then they shouted 'Bokje' (Dutch for Jack Snipe)

 

[pianoman]

In the second picture, allowing for the optical illusion caused by the zoom, the frontmost snipe is approx the same size as the definite Common Snipe to the right of the Coot. And yes I think you can just make out the vertical flank barring on the frontmost snipe. So on balance, Common for me too.

 

[Mike Crawley]

Unless it’s an artefact the second picture seems to show a central crown stipe, a feature not shown on Jack Snipe (although I admit to double checking with Collins).

 

[DMW]

I must admit I didn't even look at the wider photo with multiple birds, just the zoomed-in shot of the mostly-obscured bird. I can't see the flanks at all, and it appears to have an all-dark crown. I'm happy to be proved wrong, and perhaps the angle of the head is misleading and I'm interpreting a central crown stripe as an eye-stripe, but this still looks like a Jack Snipe to me.

 

[DMW]

In the second picture, allowing for the optical illusion caused by the zoom, the frontmost snipe is approx the same size as the definite Common Snipe to the right of the Coot. And yes I think you can just make out the vertical flank barring on the frontmost snipe. So on balance, Common for me too.

There are 3 clearly visible Common Snipe in the wide shot, plus the bird in question, which is half-buried at the 8 o-clock position to the Coot, midway between the two closer Common Snipe.

 

[Mike Crawley]

I must admit to only really looking at the bird to the right of the Coot and the one directly in front, which I find too blurry to be sure of anything.

 

[pianoman]

There are 3 clearly visible Common Snipe in the wide shot, plus the bird in question, which is half-buried at the 8 o-clock position to the Coot, midway between the two closer Common Snipe.

Ah yes I see them all now, including the "candidate" bird. Realize now that pic 1 is a zoom of pic 2. I'd hazard that it looks somewhat smaller but agree that it really is almost impossible to tell