Latham’s Snipe - just back from Japan and hungry

I found my first Latham’s Snipe for the season at the Byron Bay Integrated Water Management Reserve on the 20^th of August 2020. I have been visiting the Reserve and doing Birdata surveys there since early July with no LS recorded until the 20^th so I think it’s safe to assume these birds were recent arrivals. Nine birds were counted though there could easily have been more concealed in the dense aquatic vegetation of the constructed wetland ponds.

 

These birds were probably not long back from breeding on the Japanese island of Hokkaido⁽¹⁾. Their near non-stop migration flight⁽²⁾, mostly over ocean, will have drained energy reserves so the birds arrive hungry and need to refuel.

 

A few days later on the 25^th of August I found five Latham’s Snipe feeding during the late morning, confirming they were hungry as the birds normally feed around dawn, at night and dusk, spending the day concealed while they rest. Photo opportunities for Snipe are rare so when I found these birds feeding in a situation where I could approach without them flushing and with the light behind me I was quite excited.

 

On my approach to the feeding birds, they initially moved into cover and stood still while partially concealed. I waited patiently for them to commence feeding again. A couple started to preen so I could see they had relaxed. Sure enough they soon started feeding again. My photo session was cut short when a Whistling Kite flew over and they flushed.

 

Latham’s Snipe are distinctive migrant shorebirds with long straight bills, bold feather patterns and large eyes set high on the head.

 

Please click on photos to enlarge.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(1)   The majority of Latham’s Snipe breed on Hokkaido however some also breed on Japan’s main island Honshu and also the Kurile Islands and Sakhalin Island which are part of Russia.

(2)   Knowledge of the migration flight path of Latham’s Snipe between Japan and Australia with recent radio tracking of individual birds has improved, however it still remains patchy. It seems birds fly due south from Japan over open ocean for most of their flight south before reaching Papua New Guinea and its northern islands where they have the first opportunity to touch down before travelling on to Australia. They fly down the east coast – see Birdata screen shot of records for Latham’s Snipe in Australia and showing the open ocean between Japan and Papua New Guinea.
Birds disperse in Queensland, NSW, Victoria and some move as far west as SA. The birds are mostly found in suitable habitat from the top of the Great Divide to the coast, with few birds found west of the divide.