Snipe nest

This is the 13th year that I have counted birds for the BTO Breeding Bird Survey on a km square in Northumberland near Wark Forest.  Despite the title, the survey looks for the presence of birds in the breeding season, rather than evidence of breeding, but I do occasionally stumble across a nest.  In the past I have seen meadow pipit and curlew nests and this time I flushed a snipe when I was almost on top of it.  The bird sat tight until  I was a metre away, relying on its camouflage.  I expect if I had been a couple of metres either side I would have walked straight past without it moving.  I took the opportunity of taking a few photos before walking on.  This is the nest from 0.5m so you can see how well it is hidden.

There were four beautifully camouflaged eggs.

I heard the tick-tock call of a snipe from the nest area once I had moved 100m or so away so I am sure the bird happily resumed incubation.  I heard another bird drumming in the sky a few 100 metres farther on.  You can hear both the tick-tock and the drumming here.