Ducks, Geese & Swans in East Lothian
Our list for East Lothian has 30 ducks, geese & swans recorded regularly there: 13 residents, 9 winter visitors, 7 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in East Lothian in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 30, most common first
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopeWinter visitorCommon42–51 cmRecorded all year
EiderSomateria mollissimaResidentCommon50–71 cmRecorded all year
GoldeneyeBucephala clangulaWinter visitorCommon40–51 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Mute SwanCygnus olorResidentCommon140–160 cmRecorded all year
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentCommon75–90 cmRecorded all year
Common ShelduckTadorna tadornaResidentCommon58–67 cmRecorded all year
Red-breasted MerganserMergus serratorWinter visitorCommon52–58 cmRecorded all year
Eurasian TealAnas creccaResidentCommon34–38 cmRecorded all year
Canada GooseBranta canadensisResidentCommon76–110 cmRecorded all year
Long-tailed DuckClangula hyemalisWinter visitorCommon37–60 cmRegularly Oct–May
Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchusWinter visitorCommon60–75 cmRegularly Sep–Jun
Velvet ScoterMelanitta fuscaResidentCommon51–58 cmRecorded all year
Common MerganserMergus merganserResidentCommon58–68 cmRecorded all year
Common ScoterMelanitta nigraResidentCommon43–54 cmRecorded all year
GadwallMareca streperaResidentCommon46–56 cmRecorded all year
Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsisPassage migrantCommon58–70 cmRegularly May–Nov
Tufted DuckAythya fuligulaResidentCommon40–47 cmRecorded all year
Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeataWinter visitorUncommon44–51 cmRegularly Jul–May
Whooper SwanCygnus cygnusWinter visitorUncommon140–165 cmRegularly Sep–Mar
Surf ScoterMelanitta perspicillataWinter visitorUncommon48–60 cmRegularly Sep–May
King EiderSomateria spectabilisPassage migrantUncommon46–64 cmRegularly Mar
Brent GooseBranta berniclaPassage migrantUncommon55–66 cmRegularly Sep–May
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Eurasian Teal 34–38 cm
- Garganey 37–41 cm
- Tufted Duck 40–47 cm
- Mandarin Duck 41–49 cm
- Goldeneye 40–51 cm
- Pochard 42–49 cm
- Eurasian Wigeon 42–51 cm
- Northern Shoveler 44–51 cm
- Greater Scaup 39–56 cm
- Long-tailed Duck 37–60 cm
- Common Scoter 43–54 cm
- Gadwall 46–56 cm
- Surf Scoter 48–60 cm
- Velvet Scoter 51–58 cm
- Red-breasted Merganser 52–58 cm
- King Eider 46–64 cm
- Mallard 50–65 cm
- Eider 50–71 cm
- Brent Goose 55–66 cm
- Common Shelduck 58–67 cm
- Common Merganser 58–68 cm
- Barnacle Goose 58–70 cm
- Pink-footed Goose 60–75 cm
- Northern Pintail 59–76 cm
- Greater White-fronted Goose 64–81 cm
- Snow Goose 69–84 cm
- Greylag Goose 75–90 cm
- Canada Goose 76–110 cm
- Mute Swan 140–160 cm
- Whooper Swan 140–165 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