Rare Birds in Cheshire
75 species matching this filter.
Cheshire's diverse landscapes—from the Dee Estuary's expansive mudflats to its mosses, meres, and rolling farmland—attract a surprising variety of rare bird species throughout the year. With 75 species classified as rare in the county, patient observers may be rewarded with sightings of striking visitors such as Eurasian Spoonbill, Grey Phalarope, and Hen Harrier, alongside scarce breeders like Eurasian Tree Sparrow and European Green Woodpecker. Whether scanning coastal waters for Common Scoter or searching reedbeds for the elusive Eurasian Bittern, Cheshire offers exciting opportunities for those seeking something out of the ordinary.
Showing 24–46 of 75 species
Garganey
Spatula querquedulaLC
A rare summer visitor and scarce breeder, arriving in spring at shallow wetlands and pools on the Cheshire plain.
Mar–Sep
Golden Plover
Pluvialis apricariaLC
A rare resident, with winter flocks on lowland fields and a few pairs breeding on eastern moorlands. Absent midsummer.
Aug–May
Grasshopper Warbler
Locustella naeviaLC
A rare and secretive summer breeder, arriving in April. Its insect-like reeling song drifts from dense scrub and rough grassland on warm evenings.
Apr–Jul
Greater Scaup
Aythya marilaLC
A rare winter visitor, occasionally found among Tufted Duck flocks on larger meres from November to February.
Nov–Feb
Greater White-fronted Goose
Anser albifronsLC
A rare winter visitor, occasionally turning up on flooded fields or among other goose flocks in December to February.
Dec–Feb
Greenshank
Tringa nebulariaLC
A rare visitor from April to October, passing through on migration and favouring shallow pools and reservoir edges.
Apr–Oct
Grey Partridge
Perdix perdixLC
A rare and declining resident of Cheshire's arable farmland. Secretive and easily overlooked among crops and hedgerows.
Year-round
Grey Phalarope
Phalaropus fulicariusLC
A rare autumn passage visitor, occasionally storm-driven to Cheshire's coast and inland waters in October.
Oct
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Grey Plover
Pluvialis squatarolaLC
A rare visitor mainly found on the Dee Estuary and Mersey coast, with numbers peaking during autumn and winter passage.
Aug–Jun
Hawfinch
Coccothraustes coccothraustesLC
A rare and elusive passage visitor, occasionally recorded in late autumn among woodland and parkland with hornbeam or cherry.
Nov–Dec
Hen Harrier
Circus cyaneusLC
A rare non-breeding visitor to open moorland and marshes from autumn through winter. Cheshire's lowland mosses provide important wintering habitat for this declining raptor.
Sep–Mar
Horned Lark
Eremophila alpestrisLC
A rare passage visitor, occasionally recorded in January on open coastal or stubble fields. A scarce and unpredictable find in Cheshire.
Jan
Iceland Gull
Larus glaucoidesLC
A rare winter visitor, occasionally turning up in February among gull flocks at reservoirs or along the coast. Identified by its pale wingtips and gentle expression.
Feb
Jack Snipe
Lymnocryptes minimusLC
A rare but regular winter visitor to boggy margins and wet meadows. Secretive and easily flushed at close range.
Oct–Mar
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker
Dryobates minorLC
A rare passage visitor in late winter, this declining woodpecker is an increasingly difficult find in Cheshire's mature broadleaved woodlands.
Feb–Mar
Lesser Whitethroat
Curruca currucaLC
A rare summer breeder in tall hedgerows and scrubby thickets. Its rattling song is heard from April, but it remains a scarce find in Cheshire.
Apr–Aug
Little Gull
Hydrocoloeus minutusLC
A rare passage visitor, occasionally spotted at reservoirs and meres during spring migration. Most likely in March and April among flocks of Black-headed Gulls.
Mar–Jun
Little Owl
Athene noctuaLC
A rare and declining resident of farmland with old trees and hedgerows. This introduced species is increasingly scarce across Cheshire and much of lowland England.
Jan–Oct
Little Stint
Calidris minutaLC
A rare autumn passage migrant, occasionally found picking through mud at pools and scrapes from August to October.
May–Oct
Long-eared Owl
Asio otusLC
A rare passage visitor in February, occasionally noted at woodland edges and dense scrub during late-winter movements through the Cheshire Plain.
Feb
Long-tailed Duck
Clangula hyemalisVU
A rare passage visitor in March and November, occasionally seen on larger meres and reservoirs during migration.
Nov–Mar
Merlin
Falco columbariusLC
A rare winter visitor from upland breeding grounds, occasionally hunting over the Dee Estuary marshes and open farmland from autumn to early spring.
Sep–Mar
Osprey
Pandion haliaetusLC
A rare autumn passage migrant, occasionally spotted over reservoirs and meres in September during southward migration.
Sep