I was really surprised to see what appeared to be a WILSON'S SNIPE at Powhatan
Lakes this morning. I had walked along the road between the two lakes and
walked out on to the dock at the end of the lower lake. I spooked a shorebird
and it flew into the long grass at the edge of the right hand side of the lake.
It was an extremely brief view, my impression was of a long-billed somewhat
chunky shorebird with a strongly marked back with longitudinal white stripes.
I was never able to relocate it as the area it flew in to was inaccessible. No
vocalization.
This is extremely early - Virginia's Birdlife indicates extreme earliest dates
at least a week later.
Wendy Ealding
Powhatan County
