Sandpipers & Snipes in Scottish Borders
Our list for Scottish Borders has 12 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 4 residents, 1 summer visitor, 1 winter visitor, 5 passage migrants and 1 scarce visitor
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in Scottish Borders in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 12, most common first
CurlewNumenius arquataResidentCommon50–60 cmRecorded all year
RedshankTringa totanusWinter visitorCommon27–29 cmRegularly Aug–May
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosSummer visitorUncommon18–20 cmRegularly Apr–Jul
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusPassage migrantUncommon40–46 cmRegularly Jul–Sep
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresPassage migrantUncommon21–24 cmRegularly Aug–Feb
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaPassage migrantUncommon33–38 cmRegularly Nov
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoResidentUncommon25–27 cmRegularly Sep–May
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimusPassage migrantUncommon17–19 cmRegularly Oct
DunlinCalidris alpinaResidentUncommon16–22 cmRegularly Feb–Jul
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusScarceUncommon21–24 cm
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaPassage migrantUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaResidentUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Sep
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Jack Snipe 17–19 cm
- Common Sandpiper 18–20 cm
- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Purple Sandpiper 20–22 cm
- Ruddy Turnstone 21–24 cm
- Green Sandpiper 21–24 cm
- Common Snipe 25–27 cm
- Redshank 27–29 cm
- Eurasian Woodcock 33–38 cm
- Bar-tailed Godwit 37–41 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