Jim Thomson stumbles across the hard to find Painted Snipe

While visiting a swamp area close to  Atherton I suddenly spotted a bird I never thought I would see, the Painted Snipe.

I would not have seen it had it not been for the fact it moved in among a lot of reeds and sticks which sparked my interest.

It was just the environment you would expect to find it, still I was lucky to get some shots of the bird – even though I had to remove a few sticks from the final image to make it presentable for printing.

Strongly coloured with brightly coloured wings, the Painted Snipe is seldom observed in Australia and is regarded as a rare species.

Viewed from above the bird looks dark and blends with its surroundings. From the side they are camouflaged by alternating dark and light plumage which breaks up their body outline.

They are more active at night than during the day, and live in boggy swamps which are hard to reach.

Sex roles are unusual in the painted snipe – it is almost as if their roles are reversed. 

The female is the more brightly coloured of the pair and takes the initiative in courtship and probably defends the breeding area. The male incubates the eggs and rears the young.

The nest is located on the ground in a shallow, swampy area of mud surrounded by water and tall reed-like vegetation, and is lined with grass and reeds.

The bird feeds near the water’s edge and on mudflats, taking invertebrates, such as insects and worms, and seeds.

Photographing this bird was certainly lucky, and I could do nothing more than grab a few shots with a long lens. It was there one moment gone the next.

The Australian Painted Snipe has been listed as a vulnerable species since 1999. It is probable e that the loss and alteration of wetland habitat since European settlement is a key factor in the species decline.

Very soon I will be photographing birds in the Daintree with my friend, well known bird guide Alan Gillanders.

I have to wonder what surprises awaits me this time.

Feeding those hungry chicks