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Bird of the Month Wilson's Snipes are medium-sized, pudgy shorebirds with short legs and long bills. If you flush one, it will burst from cover with a characteristic zigzagging flight that distinguishes it from other sandpipers. This elusive bird sleeps much of the day, then feeds around dusk and dawn by probing in muddy ground for earthworms, insect larvae, and other invertebrates, with its head moving up and down like a sewing machine. The female Wilson's Snipe builds its grass nest of on the ground near water. Wilson's Snipes live in muddy pond edges, damp fields, and other wet, open habitats with low vegetation into which these well- camouflaged birds seem to disappear. They breed in Alaska, mainland Canada, and the northernmost U.S., and winter across almost the entire continental U.S. and southward through Mexico and Central America to Venezuela. The Wilson's Snipe that was discovered by John Hansen in the grassy retention basin next to The Courts on Dec. 3 was still present through Dec. 7; this bird is a migrant that settled into the only suitable habitat in Four Seasons and hopefully will stay with us through the winter. ~ Steve Edelman Birding CLUB The Club has permanently changed our bird walk procedure to count all species seen in Four Seasons all day and this change has produced a lot more birds! Thus, our Nov. 14 bird walk set a new winter record of 31 species, which included birds spotted after the group walk by Genie and Bill Cooper, Tom Paulek, Barbara Wasco, and me. Around noon on Dec. 3 John Hansen photographed a Wilson's Snipe in the big grassy retention basin next to The Courts, a new species for Four Seasons! Independently, two hours later, I spotted a Western Meadowlark on Trail C, another first record! The next morning, I went to The Courts to see if I could re-find John's Wilson's Snipe but instead found a flock of Horned Larks, the third Four Seasons first record in less than 24 hours! Our new Four Seasons species total is 106! The group bird walk on Dec. 5 re-found the Western Meadowlarks and Wilson's Snipe along with other species. Later, Tina Canon, Genie and Bill Cooper, Tom Paulek, Nanette Scott, Barbara Wasco, and I sighted additional species to yield a total 34 species for the day, eclipsing November's record! Email steve.h.edelman@gmail.com to join and receive Club communications. ~ Steve Edelman FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | JANUARY 2021 43 Check with your club contact to confirm meeting place, date, and time. Above: The club pauses for photographers on Trail B during the Nov. 14 group bird walk Left: Western Meadowlark in the grassy retention basin next to The Courts on Dec. 5. Photo by club member Gerrie Karczynski Wilson's Snipe in the grassy retention basin next to The Courts on Dec. 3. Photo by club member John Hansen

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