Jan. 2 - Happy New (Birding) Year!
1/2/26
A new year. A new beginning. I love the fresh start of a new year...remembering fondly the good times of the prior year and leaving behind the not so good times.
For our family, the new year is also the start of a new birding year! Yes, a Big Year, but a personal one for us to see more birds than we did last year because we just love birds! It’s having fun in God’s beautiful creation with the people I love and hold most dear to me.
Some of the best moments of birding aren’t the actual birds themselves…
We spent a few hours this morning scoping the waters of a local state park when a fellow birder and photographer texted my husband to see if he wanted to meet up later for more birding. Yes, count us in! We met up a little while later and after exploring two locations, he mentioned spotting a Wilson’s Snipe close by the day before. Our natural inclination of course was, “Can we make it in time before it gets dark to see if it’s still there?” And we all agreed it was worth a shot! We are making the most of every moment of daylight on these short (but surprisingly warm) winter days.
With eager anticipation, we approach the river where it had been seen and start searching for the snipe. “There it is!” Jeremy exclaims. Those are the words that are music to a birder’s ears. We all locate it and start photographing it as best as we can since it is on the other side of the river, and it is maneuvering it’s way through the tall grasses on the bank. After several minutes it comes to the water’s edge and is joined by another snipe, “There’s two!” I exclaim. What a treat to see not just one but two snipe together!
As the snipe made their way around the bend in the river, our next (of course completely logical thought) was, “Can we make it up to the bridge and to the other side of the river to try to photograph them closer before it gets dark?” Of course, we were going to try!
What happened next was one of the best moments of the day. I watched from behind as our 70 some year old companion ran side-by-side with our 11 year old son across the bridge to hurry and try to catch-up with the snipe. It was our companion who had turned the pace into a jog. My husband and I were content to walk, but our son would not be left behind. I was witnessing pure joy and excitement that spanned across generations made possible by these small, wonderful birds.
While we did relocate the snipe, in the end we didn’t get any closer because they had moved positions. It didn’t matter to me because I had just witnessed one of the best parts of the day with the race to the snipe.
Wilson’s Snipe from across the river
Two Wilson’s Snipe at the water’s edge
The snipe chase
Jeremy’s watercolor of Wilson’s Snipe
Above and below are photographs of Wilson’s Snipe from last Spring
