Sandpipers & Snipes in Ulster
Our list for Ulster has 14 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 2 residents, 4 summer visitors, 1 winter visitor, 6 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Ulster in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 14, most common first
CurlewNumenius arquataWinter visitorCommon50–60 cmRecorded all year
RedshankTringa totanusResidentCommon27–29 cmRecorded all year
SanderlingCalidris albaPassage migrantCommon18–20 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
GreenshankTringa nebulariaPassage migrantCommon30–35 cmRegularly Jul–Mar
DunlinCalidris alpinaSummer visitorCommon16–22 cmRegularly May–Dec
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusSummer visitorCommon40–46 cmRegularly May–Aug
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresPassage migrantCommon21–24 cmRegularly Mar–Jan
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosSummer visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly May–Aug
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaResidentCommon40–44 cmRegularly Jul–Feb
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoSummer visitorCommon25–27 cmRegularly May–Jan
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaPassage migrantUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
RuffCalidris pugnaxPassage migrantUncommon20–32 cmRegularly Aug
Red KnotCalidris canutusPassage migrantUncommon23–26 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaScarceUncommon20–22 cm
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Sanderling 18–20 cm
- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Common Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Purple Sandpiper 20–22 cm
- Ruddy Turnstone 21–24 cm
- Red Knot 23–26 cm
- Common Snipe 25–27 cm
- Ruff 20–32 cm
- Redshank 27–29 cm
- Greenshank 30–35 cm
- Bar-tailed Godwit 37–41 cm
- Black-tailed Godwit 40–44 cm
- Whimbrel 40–46 cm
- Curlew 50–60 cm
Body length, bill to tail. Rare birds in grey.
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made