Snipe(Gallinago gallinago)

Such a lovely surprise to see not one, but two Snipe pop up in the long grass and reeds of the marshland around the Wadi. That long beak is for probing deeply into the soft mud for worms. Considering their environment, they keep themselves immaculately free of mud and dirt, so that long beak must be useful to get to clean all those hard to reach feathers. I would dearly love to see a Jack Snipe, but they are even more secretive than this Snipe.
Back in the UK in our local converted Telephone box to a library(!) I picked up the Dorling Kindersley pocket RSPB book of birds and I am finding it absolutely fantastic for quick identification of Omans birds! Highly recommend it is a superb bird guide with great pictures of both male and female and their plumage changes over the seasons.