Birds in East Lothian

200 species listed · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024

Our list for East Lothian has 200 bird species recorded regularly there: 88 residents, 28 summer visitors, 29 winter visitors, 41 passage migrants and 14 scarce visitors.

The list comes from 235,000 birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.

Birds to see in East Lothian in September

143 species on our list are recorded regularly this month. These are the ones birdwatchers record most often.

All 143 birds in September

Arriving in September: Pink-footed Goose, Mistle Thrush, Horned Grebe, Little Stint, Whooper Swan, Surf Scoter, Short-eared Owl, Brent Goose and 4 more.

Through the year

Species recorded regularly in East Lothian each month: most in October (146), fewest in December (121). Choose a month to see its birds.

143146
Show as a table
Goldcrest
GoldcrestSmallest · 8.5cm
to
Whooper Swan
Whooper SwanLargest · 165cm
From the Goldcrest (8.5 cm) to the Whooper Swan (165 cm)52 families

All 200 birds on the list

Showing 70–92 of 200 species

Black-tailed Godwit

Black-tailed Godwit

Limosa limosaNT

Summer visitorCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Long-tailed Tit

Long-tailed Tit

Aegithalos caudatusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Ringed Plover

Ringed Plover

Charadrius hiaticulaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Red Knot

Red Knot

Calidris canutusNT

Winter visitorCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Common Scoter

Common Scoter

Melanitta nigraLC

Winter visitorCommon

Regularly Aug–Mar

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Rook

Rook

Corvus frugilegusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Common Sandpiper

Common Sandpiper

Actitis hypoleucosLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly Apr–Sep

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Gadwall

Gadwall

Mareca streperaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D

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Ruff

Ruff

Calidris pugnaxLC

Passage migrantCommon

Regularly Aug–Oct

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Yellowhammer

Yellowhammer

Emberiza citrinellaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Greenshank

Greenshank

Tringa nebulariaLC

Winter visitorCommon

Regularly Aug–Apr

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Buzzard

Buzzard

Buteo buteoLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Mistle Thrush

Mistle Thrush

Turdus viscivorusLC

ResidentCommon

Regularly Sep–Jul

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Grey Plover

Grey Plover

Pluvialis squatarolaLC

Winter visitorCommon

Regularly Aug–May

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Goldcrest

Goldcrest

Regulus regulusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Razorbill

Razorbill

Alca tordaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Moorhen

Moorhen

Gallinula chloropusLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Stock Dove

Stock Dove

Columba oenasLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Stonechat

Stonechat

Saxicola rubicolaLC

ResidentCommon

Recorded all year

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Whimbrel

Whimbrel

Numenius phaeopusLC

Passage migrantCommon

Regularly Apr–Oct

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Sedge Warbler

Sedge Warbler

Acrocephalus schoenobaenusLC

Summer visitorCommon

Regularly Apr–Aug

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Horned Grebe

Horned Grebe

Podiceps auritusVU

Winter visitorCommon

Regularly Sep–Mar

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
Barnacle Goose

Barnacle Goose

Branta leucopsisLC

Passage migrantCommon

Regularly May–Nov

J
F
M
A
M
J
J
A
S
O
N
D
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Frequently Asked Questions

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

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