I was largely undone by the excessive rainfall in Victoria and NSW, which meant that the snipe were not restricted to a few well-known sites as is normally the case. I tried hard to find some around the usual haunts in NSW, but muddy fringes had all been flooded out. I was therefore very grateful to Simon Mustoe of Wildiaries for helping me to see my one and only Latham's of the trip, at Edithvale Wetlands in Melbourne.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi47Y0K5p9Cw_HPO5uvCSNSLhaaUNd1d-g731CXEKzApQAtayF816V9TMdDhJQVU6LN5B7dw3cRT74a5QZQD2H1OBmds2WS2cnZrzuhDnMUvmQVvPr2cSzEu14fzdrj1_YeyKu6/s400/Latham%2527s+Snipe_Edithvale+wetlands_221110_IMG_1902.jpg)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYsDCxc52kqZG_aac6ayJe5eYew8YaTrKML33WHpRBNKPRWmm4LzOawWwHIvTT9kVuhDZdGVb28C2emVMtRqneiJfteHnTmyp2Gf72fb3330-k5pZDHzSeEM0dvScsv1LULH3N/s400/Latham%2527s+Snipe_Edithvale+wetlands_221110_IMG_1907.jpg)
I realize that it's hard to say too much from just a few photos of one individual, but I was surprised at how distinctive this bird was in flight. Three things struck me as being notably different from Pintail/Swinhoe's Snipe:
1. Relatively narrow, pointed wings
2. Greyish-black (rather than brownish) primaries and secondaries
3. Long 'back-end' projection, resulting in the impression of a 'flying cross'
From the nice fresh look of the wings of this bird, I would say it's a juvenile, so perhaps adults look a little different, as this photo suggests. The other 'fly in the ointment' with this theory is that I've yet to see juvenile Pintail/Swinhoe's in flight. However, I would expect them to show broader, rounder wings than this, with browner remiges.
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