Sandpipers & Snipes in Dumfries and Galloway
Our list for Dumfries and Galloway has 15 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 3 residents, 1 summer visitor, 6 winter visitors and 5 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Dumfries and Galloway in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 15, most common first
CurlewNumenius arquataResidentCommon50–60 cmRecorded all year
RedshankTringa totanusWinter visitorCommon27–29 cmRecorded all year
DunlinCalidris alpinaWinter visitorCommon16–22 cmRegularly Jul–May
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoWinter visitorCommon25–27 cmRegularly Apr–Feb
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosSummer visitorUncommon18–20 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaWinter visitorUncommon40–44 cmRegularly Jul–May
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresWinter visitorUncommon21–24 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
GreenshankTringa nebulariaPassage migrantUncommon30–35 cmRegularly Aug–Feb
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusPassage migrantUncommon40–46 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaPassage migrantUncommon33–38 cmRegularly Nov–Feb
Red KnotCalidris canutusWinter visitorUncommon23–26 cmRegularly Aug–Mar
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaResidentUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
SanderlingCalidris albaResidentUncommon18–20 cmRegularly Aug
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaPassage migrantUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Jan
RuffCalidris pugnaxPassage migrantUncommon20–32 cmRegularly Oct
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Common Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Sanderling 18–20 cm
- Purple Sandpiper 20–22 cm
- Ruddy Turnstone 21–24 cm
- Red Knot 23–26 cm
- Common Snipe 25–27 cm
- Ruff 20–32 cm
- Redshank 27–29 cm
- Greenshank 30–35 cm
- Eurasian Woodcock 33–38 cm
- Bar-tailed Godwit 37–41 cm
- Black-tailed Godwit 40–44 cm
- Whimbrel 40–46 cm
- Curlew 50–60 cm
Body length, bill to tail. Rare birds in grey.
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made