Rare Birds in East Lothian
Our list for East Lothian has 22 rare birds recorded regularly there: 3 residents, 1 summer visitor, 7 passage migrants and 11 scarce visitors
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 22, most common first
Great White EgretArdea albaScarceRare80–104 cm
OspreyPandion haliaetusSummer visitorRare54–58 cmRegularly May–Jul
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimusPassage migrantRare17–19 cmRegularly Oct–Nov
Mandarin DuckAix galericulataResidentRare41–49 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Sooty ShearwaterArdenna griseaScarceRare40–51 cm
Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurusPassage migrantRare13–15 cmRegularly May–Jun
Horned LarkEremophila alpestrisScarceRare16–20 cm
Eurasian SpoonbillPlatalea leucorodiaScarceRare80–90 cm
Tree PipitAnthus trivialisPassage migrantRare14–16 cmRegularly Apr–Jun
Roseate TernSterna dougalliiScarceRare33–41 cm
Glaucous GullLarus hyperboreusPassage migrantRare62–68 cmRegularly Feb–May
Iceland GullLarus glaucoidesPassage migrantRare52–60 cmRegularly Jan
Common QuailCoturnix coturnixPassage migrantRare16–18 cmRegularly Jul
Western Marsh-harrierCircus aeruginosusPassage migrantRare48–56 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Snow GooseAnser caerulescensScarceRare69–84 cm
Long-tailed JaegerStercorarius longicaudusScarceRare48–58 cm
Red KiteMilvus milvusResidentRare60–66 cmRegularly May–Sep
Water RailRallus aquaticusResidentRare23–28 cmRegularly Jan–Jun
Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibilatrixScarceRare11–13 cm
Black TernChlidonias nigerScarceRare22–26 cmRegularly Aug
Hen HarrierCircus cyaneusScarceRare41–52 cmRegularly Feb–Jul
European Green WoodpeckerPicus viridisScarceRare30–36 cm
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Wood Warbler 11–13 cm
- Common Redstart 13–15 cm
- Tree Pipit 14–16 cm
- Common Quail 16–18 cm
- Jack Snipe 17–19 cm
- Horned Lark 16–20 cm
- Black Tern 22–26 cm
- Water Rail 23–28 cm
- European Green Woodpecker 30–36 cm
- Roseate Tern 33–41 cm
- Mandarin Duck 41–49 cm
- Sooty Shearwater 40–51 cm
- Hen Harrier 41–52 cm
- Western Marsh-harrier 48–56 cm
- Long-tailed Jaeger 48–58 cm
- Osprey 54–58 cm
- Iceland Gull 52–60 cm
- Red Kite 60–66 cm
- Glaucous Gull 62–68 cm
- Snow Goose 69–84 cm
- Eurasian Spoonbill 80–90 cm
- Great White Egret 80–104 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