Sandpipers & Snipes in Cambridgeshire

22 species matching this filter.

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Cambridgeshire's extensive network of wetlands, washlands and fenland reserves makes it an outstanding county for sandpipers and snipes, with 22 species recorded from this diverse family. The Ouse Washes and Nene Washes provide internationally important habitat for waders such as Black-tailed Godwit, Common Snipe and Dunlin, while passage migrants like Greenshank, Green Sandpiper and Curlew Sandpiper can be found at gravel pits and flooded fields during spring and autumn. Scarcer visitors such as Bar-tailed Godwit and Eurasian Woodcock add further interest for birdwatchers exploring the county throughout the year.

Temminck's Stint
Temminck's StintSmallest · 13cm
to
Curlew
CurlewLargest · 60cm
Ranges from the Temminck's Stint (13cm) to the Curlew (60cm)7 year-round residents
Bar-tailed Godwit

Bar-tailed Godwit

Limosa lapponicaNT

A rare April passage visitor, occasionally seen on flooded washes and muddy scrapes, far from its usual coastal haunts.

Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Limosa limosaNT

Present year-round on the Ouse Washes and surrounding wet grasslands, an important site for this uncommon species nationally.

Year-round

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Common Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucosLC

Bobs along reservoir edges and gravel pit shores, most regularly seen on passage from spring through autumn.

Apr–Dec

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Common Snipe

Common Snipe

Gallinago gallinagoLC

Resident in wet meadows and reedbeds year-round, more conspicuous in winter when 'drumming' display is absent.

Year-round

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Curlew

Curlew

Numenius arquataNT

A rare passage visitor, occasionally noted in April and June over fenland fields. Once bred locally but now largely absent.

Apr–Jun

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Curlew Sandpiper

Curlew Sandpiper

Calidris ferrugineaNT

A rare autumn passage wader, occasionally found at muddy scrape edges in September and October.

Sep–Oct

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Dunlin

Dunlin

Calidris alpinaLC

Present year-round but rare, found on muddy scrapes and washland edges, with numbers peaking during passage periods.

Year-round

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Eurasian Woodcock

Eurasian Woodcock

Scolopax rusticolaLC

A rare non-breeding visitor from November to March, skulking in damp woodland and hedgerows, most often flushed unexpectedly.

Nov–Mar

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

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Green Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper

Tringa ochropusLC

Found along ditches, watercress beds, and flooded fields almost year-round, often flushing with a distinctive call.

Jun–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Greenshank

Greenshank

Tringa nebulariaLC

An uncommon visitor to gravel pits and washland scrapes from April to October, with peak passage in late summer.

Apr–Oct

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Jack Snipe

Jack Snipe

Lymnocryptes minimusLC

A rare and secretive autumn passage visitor, occasionally flushed from marshy margins in October.

Oct

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Little Stint

Little Stint

Calidris minutaLC

A rare autumn passage migrant, occasionally found picking along muddy edges of fenland scrapes in September and October.

Sep–Oct

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Pectoral Sandpiper

Pectoral Sandpiper

Calidris melanotosLC

A rare Nearctic vagrant recorded in September and October at muddy reservoir edges and flooded fenland pools.

Sep–Oct

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Red Knot

Red Knot

Calidris canutusNT

A rare autumn passage visitor in September, occasionally stopping at inland reservoirs and washland pools.

Sep

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Redshank

Redshank

Tringa totanusLC

An uncommon year-round resident breeding on wet grasslands and washlands, with numbers boosted by wintering birds.

Year-round

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Ruddy Turnstone

Ruddy Turnstone

Arenaria interpresLC

A rare inland passage visitor in late summer, occasionally stopping at gravel pits and reservoir margins.

Aug–Sep

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Ruff

Ruff

Philomachus pugnaxLC

Scarce year-round on the Ouse Washes and fenland scrapes, once bred here but now mainly a passage and winter visitor.

Year-round

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Sanderling

Sanderling

Calidris albaLC

A rare spring passage visitor, briefly stopping at reservoir margins and gravel pits in May.

May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Spotted Redshank

Spotted Redshank

Tringa erythropusLC

A rare passage migrant seen in spring and autumn at fenland scrapes and shallow pools, often alongside other waders.

Apr–Sep

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Temminck's Stint

Temminck's Stint

Calidris temminckiiLC

A rare spring passage migrant in May, favouring muddy margins and shallow pools at gravel pits and fenland reserves.

May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopusLC

A rare spring passage migrant in April and May, pausing briefly on fenland washlands and wet grasslands on its way north.

Apr–May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Wood Sandpiper

Wood Sandpiper

Tringa glareolaLC

A rare passage wader seen at freshwater scrapes and flooded fields, mainly in late summer and early autumn.

May–Sep

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

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