Wood Sandpiper

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Habitat and behaviour

Habitat: Boggy pools, lagoons (passage).
Diet: Invertebrates.
Best time to spot: Daintier, browner than Green Sand.

When to look

A passage migrant. Look for it on spring and autumn movements rather than through the summer. Numbers peak in April. See the April birding guide for what else is about. More on the season in Bird migration in Britain.

Taller bars mean more birds about. Grey means it is usually absent.

How rare is it?

The Wood Sandpiper sits in our Rare tier for the UK: scarce or very local, so most birders need a planned trip. It is Amber-listed in Birds of Conservation Concern 5, the middle level of concern in the UK. It is protected under Schedule 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, so it is an offence to disturb it at or near the nest. We blur the location of every sighting of this species.

Recent UK sightings

Similar birds

• Spotted RedshankRare · Estuaries
• Marsh SandpiperEpic · Pools
• Lesser YellowlegsRare · Pools
• Green SandpiperUncommon · Drains
• Common GreenshankUncommon · Bogs (summer); estuaries (passage)
• Greater YellowlegsLegendary · Pools (very rare vagrant)

Kit that helps

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