Sandpipers & Snipes in East Lothian
Our list for East Lothian has 21 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 5 residents, 2 summer visitors, 7 winter visitors and 7 passage migrants
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 21, most common first
RedshankTringa totanusResidentCommon27–29 cmRecorded all year
CurlewNumenius arquataResidentCommon50–60 cmRecorded all year
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresWinter visitorCommon21–24 cmRegularly Jul–May
DunlinCalidris alpinaResidentCommon16–22 cmRecorded all year
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaResidentCommon37–41 cmRecorded all year
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaSummer visitorCommon40–44 cmRecorded all year
Red KnotCalidris canutusWinter visitorCommon23–26 cmRecorded all year
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosSummer visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
RuffCalidris pugnaxPassage migrantCommon20–32 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
GreenshankTringa nebulariaWinter visitorCommon30–35 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusPassage migrantCommon40–46 cmRegularly Apr–Oct
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoWinter visitorCommon25–27 cmRecorded all year
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaWinter visitorUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
SanderlingCalidris albaWinter visitorUncommon18–20 cmRegularly Jul–May
Little StintCalidris minutaPassage migrantUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Sep
Curlew SandpiperCalidris ferrugineaPassage migrantUncommon18–23 cmRegularly Aug–Oct
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusPassage migrantUncommon21–24 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Wood SandpiperTringa glareolaPassage migrantUncommon19–21 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Spotted RedshankTringa erythropusResidentUncommon29–31 cmRegularly Aug
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaWinter visitorUncommon33–38 cmRegularly Oct–Mar
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimusPassage migrantRare17–19 cmRegularly Oct–Nov
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Little Stint 13–15 cm
- Jack Snipe 17–19 cm
- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Common Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Sanderling 18–20 cm
- Wood Sandpiper 19–21 cm
- Curlew Sandpiper 18–23 cm
- Purple Sandpiper 20–22 cm
- Ruddy Turnstone 21–24 cm
- Green Sandpiper 21–24 cm
- Red Knot 23–26 cm
- Ruff 20–32 cm
- Common Snipe 25–27 cm
- Redshank 27–29 cm
- Spotted Redshank 29–31 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