New GWCT project to track common snipe’s migration routes to breeding grounds - Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust

A new project by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) is underway to tag common snipe in three locations across the British Isles. The study aims to uncover where these elusive waders migrate to breed during the summer, while also allowing us to understand the reasons behind their decline and how best to support their conservation.

Researchers caught and tagged 20 birds in Cornwall, Ireland and eastern Scotland earlier this year, and will return to the same locations for the next two years to fit GPS tags to more birds each year. These are migrant birds that spend the winter in these locations.

This is the first UK study of its kind on snipe migration, and our pilot studies have already shown tagged birds travelling thousands of miles, arriving here from as far away as Russia, Iceland and Scandinavia.

Though once a familiar sight in our wetlands, the common snipe now faces growing challenges. Both migrant and breeding numbers have notably declined across the UK lowlands and in many parts of Europe. Historical changes in land use have been the main driver of the decline, with wet meadows being drained and wetland habitats being lost or degraded. Climate change may also be affecting their breeding and migration patterns.

Using 2-gram solar-powered tags, our scientists are now able to map migration routes, examine the habitat at breeding sites, and start to understand the pressures facing snipe. This knowledge is critical to halting their decline.