{"id":44123,"date":"2016-12-27T05:45:51","date_gmt":"2016-12-27T12:45:51","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=44123"},"modified":"2024-04-18T14:42:53","modified_gmt":"2024-04-18T19:42:53","slug":"wintertime-wilsons-snipes-in-snow","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/12\/27\/wintertime-wilsons-snipes-in-snow\/","title":{"rendered":"Wintertime Wilson’s Snipes in Snow"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Wilson'sWilson’s Snipe in snow – Nikon D500, f9, 1\/1000, ISO 200, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Wilson’s Snipes are medium-sized, stocky shorebirds that can be found in Utah year round despite the ice, freezing temperatures and heavy snow we have here during our winters. Yesterday I had two of these snipes buzz by close to me as I photographed a Great Blue Heron in a marsh at Farmington Bay WMA<\/span><\/a> and then they landed not too far away in the snow-covered parking area. Pointing these birds out? Wasn’t so easy.<\/p>\n

These shorebirds have been clocked going 60 mph so when I say they buzzed by me it wasn’t an exaggeration, they move fast. Most of the time though they use their cryptic coloration to hide from predators and people and then when you get up close to them they flush when you get too close.<\/p>\n

Once these two Wilson’s Snipes settled into the snow of the parking area they were approachable and I was able to take way too many images of the pair.<\/p>\n

\"WinterWinter Wilson’s Snipe – Nikon D500, f9, 1\/640, ISO 200, +1.0 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I had a difficult time photographing Wilson’s Snipes<\/span><\/a> in Florida because they would flush before I could take a single decent image of them and most of the time all I had were butt shots of them flying away.<\/p>\n

Here in Utah I have found them to be a bit less skittish during the winter and I have had several opportunities with them but not as close as these two were yesterday. I have also photographed them in the Centennial Valley of Montana during their breeding season calling from fence posts.<\/p>\n

There are plenty of jokes around about people setting out to “snipe hunt” in a marsh with a nothing but a bag hoping that snipe would flush into it but I hunt snipe with three things and not one of them is a bag. My eyes, my ears, and my camera.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/span> to see more of my Wilson\u2019s Snipes photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wilson’s Snipes are medium-sized, stocky shorebirds that can be found in Utah year round despite the ice, freezing temperatures and heavy snow we have here during our winters. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":117632,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,1022,697,26,4795],"tags":[4004,4797,4094,10562,4156,274,14521,4798,5579,4050,4095,4796,373],"class_list":["post-44123","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-avian","category-davis-county-utah","category-farmington-bay-wma","category-utah","category-wilsons-snipes","tag-adult","tag-gallinago-delicata","tag-marsh","tag-parking-lot","tag-resting","tag-shorebirds-2","tag-slush","tag-snipe","tag-snipes","tag-snow","tag-wetlands","tag-wilsons-snipe","tag-winter"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wilsons-snipe-snow-mia-mcpherson-8200.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-btF","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":34067,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2015\/12\/09\/a-wilsons-snipe-resting-in-snow\/","url_meta":{"origin":44123,"position":0},"title":"Wilson’s Snipe resting in snow – Two Years Ago Today","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"December 9, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"Two years ago today I photographed this Wilson's Snipe resting in snow at Farmington Bay WMA, it was bitter cold and snow covered the ground.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Wilson's Snipe resting in snow at Farmington Bay WMA in Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wilsons-snipe-snow-mia-mcpherson-6635.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wilsons-snipe-snow-mia-mcpherson-6635.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Yesterday morning, I was beyond thrilled to take several Wilson's Snipe portraits in frosty grasses while I was on the auto tour loop at Bear River MBR.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Frosty Wilson's Snipe portrait, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wilsons-snipe-autumn-portrait-frosty-mia-mcpherson-6103.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/wilsons-snipe-autumn-portrait-frosty-mia-mcpherson-6103.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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I also wondered what the new name for this snipe species will soon be.","rel":"","context":"In "Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge"","block_context":{"text":"Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/bear-river-migratory-bird-refuge\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Wilson's Snipe foraging in shallow water, Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, Box Elder County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/wilsons-snipe-water-mia-mcpherson-7169.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/wilsons-snipe-water-mia-mcpherson-7169.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/wilsons-snipe-water-mia-mcpherson-7169.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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McPherson","date":"November 9, 2013","format":false,"excerpt":"A few days ago while photographing some Greater Yellowlegs and Wilson's Snipes at Farmington Bay Waterfowl Management Area a couple of Song Sparrows also found their way into my viewfinder.","rel":"","context":"In "Birds"","block_context":{"text":"Birds","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/avian\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Song Sparrow perched on Curly Dock, Farmington Bay WMA, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-winter-mia-mcpherson-2294.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-winter-mia-mcpherson-2294.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/song-sparrow-winter-mia-mcpherson-2294.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 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