Sandpipers & Snipes in Oxfordshire
19 species matching this filter.
Oxfordshire's river valleys, reservoirs, and wetland habitats support a diverse range of sandpipers and snipes, with 19 species recorded across the county. The Thames floodplain, Otmoor RSPB reserve, and Farmoor Reservoir are particularly important sites, attracting passage waders such as Green Sandpiper, Greenshank, and Dunlin, alongside resident breeders like Common Snipe and Eurasian Woodcock. Scarcer visitors including Bar-tailed Godwit and Little Stint add excitement during migration periods.
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
A rare spring passage migrant, very occasionally recorded at reservoir edges and flooded fields, usually in April.
Apr
Black-tailed Godwit
Limosa limosaNT
A rare breeding wader found at wetland reserves like Otmoor, with scattered records from spring through autumn and occasional winter sightings.
Mar–Dec
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
An uncommon visitor along rivers and gravel pits, bobbing on rocks at the water's edge. Most frequently seen on passage in spring and autumn.
Mar–Jan
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
An uncommon resident of marshy fields and wet meadows, often flushed from waterlogged grassland at sites like Otmoor and the Thames floodplain.
Year-round
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
An uncommon breeding visitor to damp grasslands and farmland from February to August. A declining species of conservation concern.
Feb–Aug
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
A rare wader seen at muddy reservoir edges and gravel pits, mostly on passage. Small numbers may linger through winter at favoured sites.
Jul–May
Eurasian Woodcock
Scolopax rusticolaLC
A rare non-breeding visitor to woodland and hedgerows, most likely encountered during cold winter months when continental birds arrive.
Nov–Mar
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
A rare but regular wader along muddy streams and watercress beds, most often seen on autumn passage and in winter at sites like Farmoor and the Cherwell valley.
Jul–Apr
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Greenshank
Tringa nebulariaLC
A rare breeding-season visitor, most likely seen on passage at gravel pits and reservoirs between April and September, often calling its distinctive ringing whistle.
Apr–Sep
Little Stint
Calidris minutaLC
A rare autumn passage wader, occasionally stopping at reservoir edges and muddy scrapes in August and September on its southward migration.
Aug–Sep
Pectoral Sandpiper
Calidris melanotosLC
A rare Nearctic passage wader, occasionally appearing at muddy gravel pit edges in October. A sought-after county record.
Oct
Red Knot
Calidris canutusNT
A rare passage visitor, occasionally recorded in January. Primarily a coastal species, making any inland Oxfordshire record notable.
Jan
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
An uncommon resident found on wet meadows and reservoir margins, with noisy, piping calls drawing attention at sites like Otmoor and the Thames floodplain.
Nov–Aug
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
A rare passage migrant, occasionally stopping at reservoir margins and gravel pits in May and again in late summer.
May–Sep
Ruff
Philomachus pugnaxLC
A rare passage and winter visitor to muddy scrapes and flooded fields, occasionally appearing at Otmoor or Farmoor in spring and autumn.
Aug–Apr
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
A rare inland passage migrant, occasionally turning up at Farmoor Reservoir or gravel pits in May and late summer, far from its usual coastal haunts.
May–Sep
Spotted Redshank
Tringa erythropusLC
A rare spring passage migrant, very occasionally recorded at wetland sites in April. A smart wader and a county highlight.
Apr
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopusLC
A rare spring passage migrant, briefly passing through in April. Listen for its distinctive seven-note whistling call overhead.
Apr
Wood Sandpiper
Tringa glareolaLC
A rare passage migrant, occasionally stopping at muddy margins of gravel pits and reservoirs in August on southward migration.
Aug