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Message: <blockquote data-quote="kb57" data-source="post: 3479871" data-attributes="member: 133932">I was on a 'brownfield' industrial site in connection with work last Friday when I flushed a snipe from more or less under my feet...it took off without a sound, with a straight flight.  Jack snipe, I thought!  The problem was, once it was up to 'cruising altitude' (about 15m), it started zigzagging - or at least rolling from side to side, looking a lot more like a common snipe.  It settled about 200m away, on an adjoining site.  I couldn't get a view of beak length as it flew away from me and didn't think to look for wing pattern - the overall impression was of quite warm brown upperparts, although this would've been exacerbated by low angle winter sunshine.  I didn't really get a strong impression of relative size either.I've seen loads of common snipe over the years, and can't recall flushing one that didn't call or zigzag.  The problem is, I have very little experience of Jack snipe (flushed one when I was a lot younger, IDed at the time by more experienced birders I was with), and would really appreciate the views of those with more experience of this species, including their flight pattern when fully airborne, and in particular whether any hint of a zigag should indicate common snipe.  Thanks!</blockquote>