That is certainly a great photo and probably a once-in-a-lifetime shot. How
long did the snipe perch there? You won't find many birds that can fly as fast.
During hard winters, with very little unfrozen mud available, I've seen them
band into flocks of 100 or so. They flew in tight formation, much like dunlin
and made those same, synchronized turns.
Steve McDonald
http://flickr.com/photos/22121562@N00/
http://www.vimeo.com/user458315/videos
