Why YSK: Many people mistake this calling in the late afternoon for a frog. Little do they know itβs actually a very common type of wading bird. This bird has almost a legendary status as being the one of the βsound of peoples childhoodsβ because of its prevalence and distinct call. Itβs also known as a Snipe, the often-considered βnonexistentβ bird that generations have used as the basis for the Snipe hunt prank, as well as its more recent nickname, the βswiggity swootyβ bird, due to its unique method for luring out worms, as seen in this common repost
Here is a video of what it looks/sounds like: https://youtu.be/4Owj52XhoxI
Also, this post was obviously inspired by this post by u/snappylobster.
1st-3rd Month 86 AD/Year 26 of the rule of Queen Myranda I. Arryn, Stillfen
Besieging the castle of Stillfen, with the men readying the siege, digging up trenches and preparing battering rams and ladders, the camp was bustling with activity.
Still, there wasn't too much for the nobles to do beside oversee the troops and organise the camps, as they awaited the arrival of their allies, or perhaps hoped that their enemy would see the hopelessness of their situation and surrender, to save the bloodshed that would bound to happen should the castle be assaulted.
Suppers and deliberations were held in the commanding tent, and men could spar in the yard to kill time and overcome the tension and uneasiness that hang over them, with the battle they knew was coming, sooner or later.
https://preview.redd.it/01u0y34hr0v61.jpg?width=1225&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d21cc62f498049c33785886a5c1bcae51c3d921
Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sniper#:~:text=10%20Further%20reading-,Etymology,color%20and%20erratic%20flight%20behavior.&text=The%20agent%20noun%20%22sniper%22%20appears%20by%20the%201820s
Hi everyone!
My name is Wray Gabel, I'm a Masters student at the University of Florida advised by Dr. Peter Frederick.
A little about my research--my thesis explores the mutualistic relationship between nesting wading birds and the American Alligator. Basically, wading birds get protection from nest predators (like racoons) and alligators get food from discarded nestlings. I'm looking to 1) better understand what alligators might be getting out of the deal and 2) how this mutualism might be changing wading bird colony location preferences when alligators are not around. I conducted my field work for part 1) in the Everglades and used existing wading bird colony location data from North and South Carolina for part 2).
A little about me--I actually grew up wanting to become a paleontologist, which was really what ignited my passion for field work and biology, but ultimately I found currently existing animals to be more fun than rocks.
I got my undergrad degree in Biology from Skidmore College, and after graduating I worked with seabirds in Japan (Hokkaido University), wading birds/waterbirds in San Francisco (San Francisco Bay Bird Observatory), and seabirds in Maine (Audubon's Project Puffin).
I'm mainly interested in the conservation of coastal and wetland ecosystems and hope to do something with wading bird, waterbird, and/or seabird monitoring in my future career as a wildlife biologist. I also minored in Studio Art while at Skidmore and plan to create an illustrated version of my thesis, and I'll be attending an Art-Science residency this fall! I've always been passionate about bridging the (artificial) divide between the two disciplines.
In what little spare time I have I enjoy hiking, traveling, playing video games/board games/rpgs, listening to/collecting music, and doing crossword puzzles!
I am doing this as part of an AMA series with the UF/IFAS Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. I'll be on at noon (ET, 16 UT), AMA!
