Uncommon Birds in Scottish Borders
Our list for Scottish Borders has 70 uncommon birds recorded regularly there: 15 residents, 8 summer visitors, 34 passage migrants and 13 scarce visitors
Most likely in October
GBIF · Oct
Share of all bird records in Scottish Borders in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 70, most common first
Hen HarrierCircus cyaneusPassage migrantUncommon41–52 cmRegularly Oct
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimusPassage migrantUncommon17–19 cmRegularly Oct
Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochrurosPassage migrantUncommon13–15 cmRegularly Oct
Tree PipitAnthus trivialisPassage migrantUncommon14–16 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
DunlinCalidris alpinaResidentUncommon16–22 cmRegularly Feb–Jul
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusScarceUncommon21–24 cm
Pomarine JaegerStercorarius pomarinusPassage migrantUncommon46–51 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Grasshopper WarblerLocustella naeviaPassage migrantUncommon12–13 cmRegularly May
Brent GooseBranta berniclaScarceUncommon55–66 cmRegularly Sep
MerlinFalco columbariusPassage migrantUncommon24–33 cmRegularly Sep
Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatusScarceUncommon46–51 cm
Short-eared OwlAsio flammeusPassage migrantUncommon34–43 cmRegularly Oct
Common QuailCoturnix coturnixPassage migrantUncommon16–18 cmRegularly Jun
Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalusScarceUncommon37–40 cmRegularly Mar–Jun
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaPassage migrantUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Mar–Oct
Water RailRallus aquaticusScarceUncommon23–28 cm
Common Reed-warblerAcrocephalus scirpaceusPassage migrantUncommon13–14 cmRegularly May–Jun
Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibilatrixPassage migrantUncommon11–13 cmRegularly May
Little GullHydrocoloeus minutusScarceUncommon25–30 cm
Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticulaScarceUncommon17–19 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Red KiteMilvus milvusResidentUncommon60–66 cmRegularly Mar
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaResidentUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Sep
Greater ScaupAythya marilaScarceUncommon39–56 cm
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