Common Snipe - 1949

Capella gallinago gallinago

Resident on suitable moors and mountain marshes.  Numerous arrivals in autumn and winter.  A regular visitor and passage migrant on the islands, and occasionally breeds on Skomer, Skokholm and Ramsey.

R.M.Lockley, G.C.S.Ingram, H.M.Salmon, 1949, The Birds of Pembrokeshire, The West Wales Field Society

Snipe - 2003-07

Within Pembrokeshire, Snipe were considered to be fairly widespread as a breeding species until about 50-60 years ago. During the 1984-88 atlas period they were recorded from nine tetrads, mainly in the Preseli Hills and in the catchment area of the Eastern Cleddau. Only a handful of pairs were recorded, and whilst breeding may have occurred in three separate tetrads, there was no certainty of this. It was thought that extensive land drainage and reduced grazing of the commons had caused the decline, with an increase in predators placing further pressure on the remaining population.

Some 20 years later, Snipe were recorded from 5 tetrads during 2003-07 but only three of these were inland within areas of potentially suitable breeding habitat. The other two locations being near the coast were almost certainly records of transient birds. Even at the inland locations, it is likely that Snipe recorded here were also migrants. No “classic” display flights were recorded and their former haunts currently seem unable to support a breeding population.

Bob Haycock

Fieldwork 2003-07 (based on 490 tetrads)

Yellow = breeding possible = 5

Total tetrads in which registered = 5 (1%)

Snipe - 1994

Winter visitor and scarce breeder

The Snipe was a widespread breeding species in Pembrokeshire throughout the times of Mathew (1894) and Lockley et al. (1949) but Saunders (1976) remarked that there were few modern breeding records. The Breeding Birds Survey of 1984-1988 found only about ten pairs on the bogs of the Preseli Mountains, with possible breeding in the meadows around the confluence of the rivers Syfynwy and Eastern Cleddau. Extensive land reclamation, drainage and reduced grazing of commons has undoubtedly been the cause of the drastic decline in the Pembrokeshire breeding population, and an increase in foxes and corvids has probably placed further pressure on the remaining population.

The small numbers of Snipe that arrive between July and September may be birds that breed fairly locally, perhaps elsewhere in Wales or other parts of Britain. The main arrival is in October, with ringing recoveries showing that they come from at least as far away as Finland. Small groups are scattered widely across the county during the winter, having the ability to suddenly concentrate at places where ground conditions become temporarily favourable, in which case groups of 50-100 are not unusual. They move to soft areas, such as the foreshore and springs, when the ground becomes frozen. Numbers diminish steadily if hard weather is prolonged, many presumably leaving the county altogether.

The spring departure is mainly in March but stragglers, or possibly through migrants, are noted in April and May. Largely nocturnal migrants, they have been seen at Strumble Head, South Bishop and the Smalls at lighthouse attractions.

Fieldwork 1984-88 (based on 478 tetrads)

Orange = breeding probable = 3

Yellow = breeding possible = 6

Total tetrads in which registered = 9 (1.9%)

Donovan J.W. & Rees G.H (1994), Birds of Pembrokeshire

Snipe - 1970s breeding

Red = breeding confirmed

Orange = breeding probable

Yellow = breeding possible

Snipe - 1980s winter atlas

The BTO winter atlas showed that Snipes were present in most 10km squares during the winters of 1981-82, 1982-82 and 1983-84.

The darker the colour, the higher the relative total count for each 10km square.  The darkest blue represents over 37 birds, up to 200 were recorded in some squares in the county.

Graham Rees 

Common Snipe - 1894

Species account from M Mathew, 1894, "The Birds of Pembrokeshire and its islands"

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