Sandpipers & Snipes in Hertfordshire
12 species matching this filter.
Hertfordshire's reservoirs, gravel pits, and waterlogged meadows provide vital stopover and wintering habitat for 12 species of sandpipers and snipes. Notable visitors include Black-tailed Godwit, Greenshank, and Ruff, which pass through on migration, while Common Snipe and Eurasian Woodcock can be found wintering in the county's damp woodlands and marshy fields. The Lee Valley and Tring Reservoirs are particularly rewarding sites for observing these wading birds throughout the year.
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
A rare passage migrant pausing at wetlands in July and August. Most records come from the Lea Valley gravel pits and reservoir edges.
Jul–Aug
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
An uncommon summer visitor, bobbing along reservoir edges and gravel pit shores from April. Most often noted on passage.
Apr–Oct
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
An uncommon resident of wet meadows and marshes, more easily found in winter. Its drumming display is rarely heard in the county.
Aug–Jun
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
A rare passage visitor to reservoir margins and muddy scrapes, mainly in spring and autumn. Typically seen in small numbers during migration stopovers.
Mar–Nov
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
A rare and secretive winter visitor to damp woodland and hedgerows from November to March. Most often flushed unexpectedly from leaf litter.
Nov–Mar
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
An uncommon but near year-round presence at watercress beds, streams and reservoir margins. Often seen bobbing along muddy edges before flying off.
Jun–Apr
Greenshank
Tringa nebulariaLC
A rare passage migrant recorded at gravel pits and reservoirs in spring and late summer. A rewarding find for county birders.
Apr–Sep
Jack Snipe
Lymnocryptes minimusLC
A secretive and rare winter visitor to marshy areas and waterlogged meadows. Easily overlooked due to its skulking habits.
Oct–Mar
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Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
An uncommon breeding visitor to wet meadows and marshes from March to July. The Lea Valley holds most of the county's nesting pairs.
Mar–Jul
Ruff
Philomachus pugnaxLC
A rare autumn passage migrant appearing briefly at muddy reservoir margins and gravel pits in August and September.
Aug–Sep
Temminck's Stint
Calidris temminckiiLC
A rare autumn passage wader, occasionally recorded at muddy scrapes in August. A prized find at any Hertfordshire wetland.
Aug
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareolaLC
A rare spring passage migrant, occasionally dropping in at muddy reservoir margins in May. A sought-after find for county birders.
May