Painted Snipe! Back in mid or late May a pair of Painted Snipes were reported in a small patch of rice fields in Ulsan, on the far southeast of Korea (just a bit north of Busan). Painted Snipes used to be more numerous in Korea, but their numbers have dropped a lot making them difficult to see. As this species was massively high on my list of birds to see in Korea, and given how difficult it is to see them in general even when they are found, I took a flight from Jeju to see them before the rice grew too high.
We located them shortly after arriving, thanks to very helpful information provided by other local birders. We saw the female first, which was a relief as this is the most charismatic of the pair, and the one I had wanted to see the most. Painted Snipes are interesting in that the roles are reversed: the females are the flashy ones, and the males are the ones that take care of the young.
The next morning I went out again on my own to get some more time with them. I couldn't find the female, but after about an hour of waiting around I saw the male as well as some chicks. It was a very pleasant experience to see not only the male and female, but also the chicks. The rice had grown quite tall by this point as well, and basically they were unfindable a week or so later. I hope the chicks were raised successfully and visit Korea again in the next year.
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| Female Painted Snipe. Note the strong colouration and markings. She made a hooting sound that was a bit like a cross between an owl and a frog. Image digiscoped with my phone and scope. |
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| The male, and some chicks in the foreground (although difficult to see in this image). Digiscoped with my scope and phone. |
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| Another photo of the male, and one of the chicks. This one taken with my camera, although given their distance it was better views through the scope. |
