at Marsh Lane Many consider Marsh Lane Nature Reserve in Warwickshire to be one of the best UK locations for wintering Jack Snipe. In January 2016 there were good views most days of up to 4 Jack Snipe and in excess of 50 .

Jack Snipe belong to the family of that includes , and about 20 other species of Snipe. It’s the smallest of the and the only one in the genus Lymnocrypte. It carries the scientific name Lymnocryptes minimus (from the Greek: limne meaning ‘marsh’ + krupto meaning ‘to hide’ + minimus meaning ‘smallest’)

The common name, Jack, may come from the Welsh word for a Snipe - giach (pronounced with a hard g).

Jack Snipe are migratory birds that over-winter in Britain (as well as coastal and North ), arriving here mid-September through to November from the summer breeding grounds in Northern Scandinavia, Russia and Siberia. Return migration to the breeding grounds starts in March, through April.

The species has a large global population estimated to be 1 million individuals.

The preferred breeding ground is swamp and wet grassland with short vegetation. They nest in a well- hidden location on the ground, laying 3–4 eggs. In its breeding territory the male performs an aerial display during courtship, consisting of bobbing and hovering, punctuated with steep dives and rapid ascents, during which it makes a distinctive sound like a galloping horse on a wooden bridge (kolloRAP – kolloRAP!).

It is estimated that in excess of 100,000 Jack Snipe over-winter in Britain. When over-wintering the species remains largely solitary, usually feeding singly or in groups of up to 5 individuals. Most of its activities are carried out nocturnally or in the early morning and late evening.

Why the bobbing? It may cause vibrations in the mud that brings small creatures nearer to the surface, making them easier to find. Some say it’s a form of defense against predators. Or it may aid their vision - our brains use the two slightly different images coming from our left and right eyes to help us differentiate between near and far objects – binocular vision. A has eyes on the side of the head – monocular vision – that enables it to see two totally different objects at once but gives the bird no perception of depth or distance. Movements like bobbing allow the bird to vary the visual images received and hence gain a perception of depth and distance – known as motion parallax. Or maybe it’s a form of communication between individuals. Whichever it is – maybe elements of each - the bobbing’s often the only way of spotting a Jack Snipe. Careful though, Common Snipe often bob albeit to a lesser extent. The Common Snipe is a widespread breeding species in the UK (approx. 80,000 pairs) with highest breeding densities in our northern moorlands. Breeding numbers are declining in southern lowlands, where wet meadows have been drained and converted to arable land or improved grassland. Common Snipe also breed in Iceland, northern Europe and Russia. Inward migration pushes UK winter Common Snipe numbers to over 1 million individuals.

Snipe feed by probing for invertebrates deep in the soil with a "sewing-machine" action of their long bills. The sensitivity of the filaments in the bill helps the Snipe quickly distinguish between objects. If the marshes and meadows have been well drained — or were not waterlogged at the end of the winter - then the ground will become dry and hard for feeding. Breeding may then cease.

The Common Snipe is a game bird, legally hunted in Britain from August through to January. It provides one of the smallest and most difficult sporting targets due to its erratic flight. The word “sniper” originated in the 1770s among British soldiers in who hunted Snipe as game.

Jack Snipe is a protected species in England, Scotland and Wales.

When flushed, a Common Snipe utters a sharp note that sounds like scape, scape and will fly off in a series of aerial zig-zags to confuse predators.

Conversely, Jack Snipe will squat down and not flush from cover until an intruder is quite close. They then quietly fly a short distance before dropping back into vegetation.

Common Snipe are larger than Jack Snipe, but the best means of differentiating between the two species is the bill length (see comparision above).

As well as the overall bird size comparision and the bill length, the head pattern is also a good comparitor - the cap on a Jack Snipe is all dark, whereas a Common Snipe there is a bright cream line running through the middle of the crown.