Sandpipers & Snipes in South Ayrshire
Our list for South Ayrshire has 17 sandpipers & snipes recorded regularly there: 1 resident, 1 summer visitor, 8 winter visitors and 7 passage migrants
Most likely in October
GBIF · OctShare of all bird records in South Ayrshire in October, 2019–2024. Each month links to that month’s page.
All 17, most common first
CurlewNumenius arquataWinter visitorCommon50–60 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
RedshankTringa totanusWinter visitorCommon27–29 cmRegularly Jul–Apr
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresWinter visitorUncommon21–24 cmRecorded all year
DunlinCalidris alpinaWinter visitorUncommon16–22 cmRecorded all year
Bar-tailed GodwitLimosa lapponicaWinter visitorUncommon37–41 cmRegularly Jul–May
Purple SandpiperCalidris maritimaWinter visitorUncommon20–22 cmRegularly Oct–Apr
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoWinter visitorUncommon25–27 cmRegularly Aug–Apr
Red KnotCalidris canutusWinter visitorUncommon23–26 cmRegularly Jun–Mar
SanderlingCalidris albaResidentUncommon18–20 cmRegularly May–Mar
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusPassage migrantUncommon40–46 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
GreenshankTringa nebulariaPassage migrantUncommon30–35 cmRegularly Aug–Mar
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosSummer visitorUncommon18–20 cmRegularly Apr–Aug
Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaPassage migrantRare40–44 cmRegularly Apr–Sep
Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimusPassage migrantRare17–19 cmRegularly Nov–Mar
RuffCalidris pugnaxPassage migrantRare20–32 cmRegularly Aug–Sep
Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticolaPassage migrantRare33–38 cmRegularly Jan
Green SandpiperTringa ochropusPassage migrantRare21–24 cmRegularly Mar
Smallest to largest
Length, cm- Jack Snipe 17–19 cm
- Dunlin 16–22 cm
- Sanderling 18–20 cm
- Common Sandpiper 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
- 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