Sandpipers & Snipes in Dorset
22 species matching this filter.
Dorset's diverse coastal and wetland habitats make it an outstanding county for observing sandpipers and snipes, with 22 species recorded from this fascinating wader family. The county's estuaries, particularly Poole Harbour and the Fleet, along with its water meadows and heathland bogs, attract notable species such as Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, Curlew, Dunlin, and Common Snipe. From passage migrants like Curlew Sandpiper and Greenshank to resident breeders like the Eurasian Woodcock, Dorset offers year-round opportunities to enjoy these elegant shorebirds.
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
An uncommon year-round presence, probing sandy shores and harbour mudflats with its distinctive upturned bill.
Year-round
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
A common resident, with Poole Harbour and the Exe estuary fringes hosting important flocks throughout the year.
Year-round
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
An uncommon resident, bobbing along Dorset's rivers, reservoirs and harbour edges throughout much of the year.
Jan–Nov
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
An uncommon non-breeding visitor to Dorset's wet meadows and marshes, present mainly from autumn through to spring.
Aug–Apr
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
A common resident of Poole Harbour's mudflats and Dorset's coastal marshes, with numbers boosted by wintering birds.
Year-round
Curlew Sandpiper
Calidris ferrugineaNT
An uncommon autumn passage migrant, seen on Poole Harbour's mudflats and coastal scrapes from August to October.
Aug–Oct
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
An uncommon resident of Poole Harbour's mudflats and estuaries, with winter flocks larger than summer numbers.
Year-round
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
A rare winter visitor to Dorset's damp woodlands and heathland, most likely encountered during cold-weather influxes.
Nov–Jun
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Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
An uncommon but year-round presence at freshwater pools and watercress beds, often flushed from ditches.
Jun–Apr
Greenshank
Tringa nebulariaLC
An uncommon year-round presence on Dorset's estuaries and harbours, often seen wading elegantly in shallow channels.
Year-round
Grey Phalarope
Phalaropus fulicariusLC
A rare autumn passage visitor, occasionally driven to Dorset's coast by Atlantic storms, typically seen in October.
Oct
Jack Snipe
Lymnocryptes minimusLC
A secretive winter visitor, rarely seen in boggy margins and wet meadows from November to February.
Nov–Feb
Little Stint
Calidris minutaLC
A rare autumn passage migrant, occasionally found among Dunlin flocks on Dorset's coastal scrapes and mudflats.
Aug–Oct
Purple Sandpiper
Calidris maritimaLC
A rare winter visitor to Dorset's rocky shores and breakwaters, favouring exposed Jurassic Coast ledges.
Nov–May
Red Knot
Calidris canutusNT
A rare visitor to Poole Harbour's mudflats, present in small numbers mainly outside the summer months.
Aug–May
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
A common resident of Poole Harbour's saltmarshes and mudflats, its piping calls a familiar sound year-round.
Year-round
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
An uncommon resident along Dorset's rocky shores and harbour walls, flipping stones to find invertebrates.
Year-round
Ruff
Philomachus pugnaxLC
A rare non-breeding visitor to Dorset's coastal lagoons and wet grasslands, mainly in autumn and winter.
Aug–Mar
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
A rare but year-round visitor, scurrying along Dorset's sandy beaches at the tideline in small flocks.
Year-round
Spotted Redshank
Tringa erythropusLC
A rare but regular visitor to Poole Harbour and Brownsea lagoon, most reliably seen during autumn passage.
Jun–Apr
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopusLC
An uncommon passage visitor, most often seen on Dorset's estuaries and coastal fields during spring and autumn migration.
Apr–Oct
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareolaLC
A rare passage migrant in late summer, occasionally stopping at Dorset's freshwater scrapes and flooded fields.
Jul–Sep