Canon Elan IIe, handheld. Canon 75-300 at 300mm Fuji Provia 100F f5.6 at 1/125

Doesn't look that dangerous...

In the US, many a young boy got introduced to the great outdoors on camping trips, and often enough, their older companions – scout leaders, brothers, neighborhood kids – would initiate them into the unique experience of "snipe hunting." Descriptions of snipe vary, but essentially, vicious and dangerous critters lurking in the bushes making a lot of noise. Usually, this was simply another camper in on the joke. Isn't learning about nature fun?

The funny thing is, there really is such a thing as a snipe, though the perils of contact are, to say the least, greatly exaggerated. The common snipe (Capella gallinago) shown here is a moderately small and very shy bird, often very hard to spot, and definitely not prone to roaring and leaping out of the bushes at unsuspecting new campers looking for nature's privy.