Rare Birds in Nottinghamshire
79 species matching this filter.
Nottinghamshire may be a landlocked county, but its diverse habitats — from the wetlands of the Idle Valley and Attenborough Nature Reserve to the ancient woodlands of Sherwood Forest — attract a surprising variety of rare bird species. With 76 species classified as rare, patient birdwatchers may be rewarded with sightings of elusive visitors such as Bohemian Waxwing, Eurasian Bittern, Hawfinch, and passage migrants like Arctic Tern and Greenshank. The county's gravel pits, reservoirs, and river corridors serve as vital stopover points for scarce migrants and occasional winter wanderers.
Showing 70–79 of 79 species
Western Marsh-harrier
Circus aeruginosusLC
A rare but increasing resident, breeding at wetland reserves such as Attenborough and Idle Valley with their extensive reedbeds.
Year-round
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
A rare passage visitor seen on open farmland and gravel pits in spring and autumn, rarely lingering long.
Mar–Sep
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopusLC
A rare spring passage migrant in April and May, occasionally stopping at wetland sites and flooded fields en route north.
Apr–May
Whinchat
Saxicola rubetraLC
A rare autumn passage migrant, occasionally pausing on rough grassland and scrubby margins during August and September.
Aug–Sep
White-winged Tern
Chlidonias leucopterusLC
A rare September passage vagrant, very occasionally recorded at county wetlands. Any sighting is a notable county record.
Sep
Whooper Swan
Cygnus cygnusLC
A rare winter visitor from Iceland, occasionally found on Trent valley floodplain and larger waters between October and April.
Oct–Apr
Willow Tit
Poecile montanusLC
A rare and rapidly declining resident of damp woodland with standing deadwood. One of the UK's most threatened species; Nottinghamshire is a stronghold.
Year-round
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareolaLC
A rare summer visitor from May to August, occasionally breeding at marshy pools and flooded gravel pits in the Trent Valley.
May–Aug
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Woodlark
Lullula arboreaLC
A rare breeding visitor to heathland areas, arriving from February. Sherwood's sandy heaths offer scarce but suitable habitat.
Feb–Jul
Yellow-legged Gull
Larus michahellisLC
A rare breeder recorded from May to July, sometimes nesting among large gull colonies at reservoirs and gravel pits.
Jun–Jan