Sandpipers & Snipes in North Ayrshire
Our list for North Ayrshire has 15 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 2 residents, 1 summer visitor, 6 winter visitors, 4 passage migrants and 2 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in North Ayrshire 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 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresWinter visitorCommon21–24 cmRecorded all year
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosSummer visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
DunlinCalidris alpinaWinter visitorCommon16–22 cmRegularly Jul–May
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoWinter visitorCommon25–27 cmRegularly Aug–May
GreenshankTringa nebulariaPassage migrantCommon30–35 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
SanderlingCalidris albaWinter visitorUncommon18–20 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaWinter visitorUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Nov–Apr
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaResidentUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Sep–Mar
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusPassage migrantUncommon40–46 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Red KnotCalidris canutusPassage migrantUncommon23–26 cmRegularly Sep–Feb
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusScarceUncommon21–24 cm
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaPassage migrantUncommon40–44 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
RuffCalidris pugnaxScarceUncommon20–32 cm
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Common Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Sanderling 18–20 cm
- Purple Sandpiper 20–22 cm
- Ruddy Turnstone 21–24 cm
- Green Sandpiper 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
- 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