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Photos by Doug Backlund / www.wildphotosphotography.com
Sitting tight: Finding a cryptically colored Common Poorwill can be difficult. Fairly easy to see while feeding at night, they blend in well with their surroundings and can be nearly impossible to see during the day. They will not flush unless practically stepped upon, making it possible to walk close to them and not see one at all.
The definition of a snipe hunt can be one of three choices:
An elaborate practical joke in which an unsuspecting person takes part in a bogus hunt for a snipe, typically being left alone in the dark with a bag to catch the snipe in and with instructions not to move until the snipe appears. Hours may pass before the victim realized the deception.
A futile search or endeavor.
Actually hunting the Wilson’s Snipe with a shotgun (yes, there is a snipe season and some people actually do this).
Some folks might think looking for a Common Poorwill is similar to the first definition of a snipe hunt. It is in truth very close to the second definition. There is no relation to the third definition.
Poorwills are among the birds that are much easier to locate by hearing than by sight. The onomatopoeic name describes the call of this nocturnal bird. In areas where they nest, the repeated poorwill poorwill poorwill will let one know they are present. But finding one the ground is another matter. Highly cryptic, they blend into their habitat so well that usually all one sees of these birds is a quick glimpse of the poorwill as it flushes and disappears into the nearest thicket.
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