GREAT SNIPE LEK

Great snipe & cotton grass
D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/200, ISO 4000

It`s midnight & mid summer in mid Norway`s low alpine region. The Great Snipe (Gallinago media) is lekking ... and its such a discreet, serenely and "down to earth" happening !! They're lekking at nighttime and on a good night the first birds can be heard around 11 pm, and as the night progresses the birds get more involved. You never see them arrive, they just come out of nowhere ... almost like they pop up from the underground. The small, brown birds can be hard to detect in the brown heather & grass. Once you see them, once you don't ! They pull the head down between the "shoulders" and zoom around, ... low, fast & invisible like mice. Suddenly they push the head up and display with a low, clicking sound, flapping beak and one single, quick wingflap ... and that's it !!

I spent 3 nights with them this time, "lekking" at nighttime and sleeping at daytime ... and with the nordic mid summer you have shooting light all through the night.

Life is good sometimes !!

All pictures are shot June 18th-22nd 2020.

Thanks to Terje Kolaas !       

Popping out of nowhere

D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/200, ISO 4000

Midnight !!

D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/50, ISO 4000

D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/60, ISO 4500

D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/60, ISO 5600

D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/60, ISO 4500

D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/200, ISO 4000

D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/200, ISO 4000

D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/50, ISO 4000

D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/60, ISO 3200

D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/100, ISO 4000

Flapping beak !!!
D5, 600 4,0, f/4,0, 1/50, ISO 1800

Shooting low angle is essential !