Sandpipers & Snipes in Norfolk
25 species matching this filter.
Norfolk is one of the premier destinations in Britain for observing sandpipers and snipes, with 25 species recorded across the county's extensive coastline, saltmarshes, and freshwater wetlands. The region's vast mudflats and estuaries, particularly along the North Norfolk coast and The Wash, provide vital feeding and roosting grounds for species such as Bar-tailed Godwit, Black-tailed Godwit, and Curlew. Secretive species like Jack Snipe and Eurasian Woodcock can also be found in the county's damp woodlands and marshes, especially during the winter months.
Showing 1–23 of 25 species
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Present year-round along Norfolk's sandy shores and tidal flats, with numbers peaking in winter at sites like Titchwell and Snettisham.
Year-round
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
Found year-round on coastal marshes and wet grasslands, with large flocks at sites like the Ouse Washes and Cley.
Year-round
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
An uncommon summer visitor, bobbing along lake edges and river margins from April to October. Passage birds frequent coastal pools.
Apr–Oct
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
An uncommon year-round resident of Norfolk's wet meadows and reedbeds, often flushed from marshy edges with a zigzagging flight.
Year-round
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Common on coastal marshes, estuaries and farmland throughout the year. Numbers swell in winter with continental arrivals.
Year-round
Curlew Sandpiper
Calidris ferrugineaNT
An uncommon passage wader seen on coastal pools and mudflats from May to October. Adults in rufous breeding plumage appear in late summer.
May–Oct
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Present year-round on estuaries and saltmarshes, with large winter flocks on the Wash. Breeding numbers in the UK have declined sharply.
Year-round
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
A secretive resident of damp woodland, boosted in winter by Continental arrivals; best seen at dusk on roding flights in spring.
Oct–Jun
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Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
An uncommon but regular visitor to freshwater margins and ditches, most frequently encountered during autumn passage.
Feb–Dec
Greenshank
Tringa nebulariaLC
An uncommon but year-round presence on coastal pools and estuaries, most conspicuous during autumn passage.
Year-round
Grey Phalarope
Phalaropus fulicariusLC
A rare autumn passage visitor, typically storm-driven to the coast between September and November. Most often seen at sea or sheltering in harbours.
Sep–Nov
Jack Snipe
Lymnocryptes minimusLC
A rare and secretive passage visitor to Norfolk's wet marshes and boggy ditches, most likely flushed in October or November.
Oct–Mar
Little Stint
Calidris minutaLC
An uncommon but regular visitor to coastal scrapes and pools, mainly on autumn passage from July to November.
May–Nov
Pectoral Sandpiper
Calidris melanotosLC
A rare autumn passage wader, occasionally turning up at coastal marshes and freshwater scrapes from July to September.
Jul–Sep
Purple Sandpiper
Calidris maritimaLC
A rare non-breeding visitor to Norfolk's rocky groynes and harbour walls from autumn through winter, favouring wave-splashed structures.
Sep–Feb
Red Knot
Calidris canutusNT
Flocks gather on the Wash and north Norfolk mudflats, peaking in winter. An impressive sight when thousands wheel in tight formation.
Year-round
Red-necked Phalarope
Phalaropus lobatusLC
A rare September passage migrant, occasionally spinning on freshwater pools at coastal reserves like Cley and Titchwell.
Sep
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Common year-round on saltmarshes and wet grasslands, its distinctive call a constant feature of Norfolk's coastal reserves.
Year-round
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Present year-round along Norfolk's rocky groynes and shingle shores, busily flipping stones and seaweed for invertebrates.
Year-round
Ruff
Philomachus pugnaxLC
An uncommon year-round resident of Norfolk's freshwater marshes and scrapes, with numbers boosted by passage birds in spring and autumn.
Year-round
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Found year-round on sandy beaches along the north Norfolk coast, often in small flocks racing along the tideline.
Year-round
Spotted Redshank
Tringa erythropusLC
A rare but year-round presence on Norfolk's coastal lagoons and estuaries, often seen wading elegantly alongside Redshanks.
Year-round
Temminck's Stint
Calidris temminckiiLC
A rare passage migrant, briefly visiting freshwater scrapes in May and August, most reliably seen at Cley or Titchwell.
May–Aug