Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology:  Calidris (bird named by Aristotle) bairdii (named for naturalust Spencer Baird)

Baird's Sandpiper (Calidris bairdii) at Rutland Water, Rutland, UK - October 2025

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 38g  /  Length: 18-19cm  /  Wingspan: 43cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A tiny wader that breeds on the most Northerly Tundra of Alaska and Canada, as well as small footholds in Siberia and Greenland.  They are extreme long distance migrants, wintering at the Southern end of South America, and it is this colossal journey that makes them fairly prone to vagrancy, with a handful being found in the UK each year. Their most diagnostic feature is the extremely long wings

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris 
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A rare vagrant
 - Single individual seen at Rutland Water in October 2025

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Savi's Warbler (Locustella luscinioides)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Locustella ("small locust") luscinioides ("resembles nightingale")

Alex Holt · Savi's Warbler

Recording of Adult Male Savi's Warbler (Locustella luscinioides) at Rutland Water, Rutland - May 2024

Featured Subspecies: Locustella luscinioides luscinioides
Weight: 14g  /  Length: 14cm  /  Wingspan: 15-20cm
UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A visually plain warbler of European readbeds - it makes a distinctive reeling like noise similar to a grasshopper warbler, but lower pitched and with a flatter tone.  Like their cousin they are secretive and difficult birds to locate even when you can hear them, and even when showing, may not be doing so for long! I saw them at Arrocampo in Spain in 2016 but they would only be visible for moments, while my two UK birds to date have both been at Rutland and neither seen, only heard from deep in the reedbeds.

Related Species:
ORDER: Passeriformes
FAMILY: Locustellidae
GENUS: Locustella
SUBSPECIES: L. l. luscinioides, L. l. sarmatica, L. l. fusca

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A fringe breeding species (1-3 pairs) and passage migrant
 - Heard at Rutland Water in  May 2024

SPAIN - Spanish - Buscarla Unicolor - 

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Numerous glimpsed at Arrocampo

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto

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Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata)

OTHER NAMES: Skunk-headed Coot

Latin Etymology: Melanitta ("black duck") perspicillata ("conspicuous")

Adult male Surf Scoter (Melanitta perspicillata) at San Francisco, California - September 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 950-1700g  /  Length: 44-48cm  /  Wingspan: 77cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

A large sea-duck species found breeding around the coasts of Canada and Alaska, they breed on freshwater lakes.  This bird was a vagrant that had turned up along the dam end of Rutland Water where it was associated with a group of mostly male tufted ducks.  This bird is apparently a first winter bird, though as with the most duck species the adult male is a far more dramatic bird with a bizarre oversized beak coloured white, yellow red, pink with a huge black blotch.

Related Species: 
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Melanitta
SUBSPECIES: none - monotypic 

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A rare vagrant.

 - A single vagrant bird seen at Rutland Water (December 2016) 

UNITED STATES 
Breeds in Alaska, Winters around almost the entire continental US Coastline
 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen at San Francisco and Berkeley

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-Canto .

Long-billed Dowitcher (Limnodromus scolopaceus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A
Latin Etymology: Limnodromus ("marsh runner") scolopaceus ("snipe/woodcock")

                                     Winter plumage vagrant adult Long-billed Dowitcher at Rutland Water, Rutland - April 2016 

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 90-135g  /  Length: 23-30cm  /  Wingspan: 46-52cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Long-billed Dowitcher is a wading bird primarily from North America and Eastern Siberia that resembles in many ways a smaller version of the godwit species found in the UK. Over here it is a rare vagrant, although at the point I saw this it seems to have been having a slight inundation - this was the second individual of this species to turn up in adjacent counties to Northants within two weeks, and I'm glad I went for this one; the first was considerably more difficult to get to with considerably more distant views!

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Limnodromus
Subspecies: none - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Rare and occassional vagrant

 - Single vagrant bird seen at Rutland Water in February 2016

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Lesser Whitethroat (Sylvia curruca)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Sylvia ("woodland sprite") curruca (bird mentioned by Juvenal)

Adult Lesser Whitethroats (subspecies S. c. curruca) at Alexandra Palace, London - September 2015

Featured Subspecies: Sylvia curruca curruca

Weight: 12g  /  Length: 13cm  /  Wingspan: 18cm

UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Lesser Whitethroat is perhaps the most difficult to see species relative to how common it is - it is perhaps the most skulking of the widespread warblers of the UK, much easier to hear than it is to see with it's vaguely belligerent harsh sounding repeated "jut" sounds.   It also suffers from being similar to the related common whitethroat, there are some features which can be used to separate it out - dark coloured legs, a pale "milky" breast (rather than pinkish), a dark mask (rather than a uniformly grey head) and a cool brown back (rather than warm russet).  I'd actually seen this species a couple of times prior to finally managing to photograph it, generally glimpses before vanishing into a thicket. However, while in Alexandra Park in Autumn I ended up getting easily identifiable views on several occasions throughout the morning - this could tie into the fact that as their migration approaches they apparently are less skulking.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Sylvdiidae
Genus: Sylvia
Subspecies: S. c. curruca, S. c. blythi

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Widespread but secretive breeding Summer migrant (74,000 birds) 

 - Seen in late Summer at Rutland Water and Alexandra Palace, heard in various other locations

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Grey Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius)

OTHER NAMES: Red Phalarope

Latin Etymology: Phalaropus ("coot foot") fulicarius ("black and white")

 Adult Grey Phalarope (Phalaropus fulicarius) at Hove, East Sussex - January 2014

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 55g  /  Length: 20-23cm  /  Wingspan: 43cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List Status: Least Concern

The grey phalarope is a passage migrant that comes through the UK mainly in winter.  Although known as the grey phalarope in the UK, this is based on its Winter plumage which is the only time we see it here, and thus, in America, it is somewhat confusingly known as the red phalarope.  The three species of phalaropes form a strange group of birds - unlike most waders they are pelagic - and spend much of their lives far out to sea eating plankton from the surface of the ocean; they float on the surface of the water more like a gull or auk than a typical wader.  This particular bird had decided to settle on a paddling pool in a park in Brighton, and, with what I have heard is the typical boldness of the species, was entirely oblivious to humans who it would get within a few meters of it.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Phalaropus
Subspecies: None - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A scarce passage migrant (around 200 birds)

 - A single bird seen at Rutland Water and a single bird at Hove in January 2014,

UNITED STATES 
Breeds on the North Coast of Alaska, passage elsewhere

 - CALIFORNIA 2022 TRIP: Seen on the Half Moon Bay Pelagic Trip

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla)

OTHER NAMES: Cock o' the north, Mountain Finch

Latin Etymology: Fringilla ("finch") montifringilla ("mountain finch")

Adult male Winter plumage Brambling (Fringilla montifringilla) at Summer Leys, Northants - April 2022

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 22-30g  /  Length: 14cm  /  Wingspan: 24-26cm
UK GREEN LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Bramblings can be one of the more frustrating finches to find, a winter migrant finch that largely associated with flocks of Chaffinches.  They are largely found normally in North Eastern Europe, and like other birds from those places can irrupt to send large numbers into Western Europe in particularly bad Winters.  However, although they associate with Chaffinch flocks, which are fairly common, actually pinning one down can be frustrating, as searching through large flocks of Chaffinches on the offchance of finding one can be a bit frustrating.  After encounterign them a few times, I would say the best way to find them would be to listen to Winter Chaffinch flocks for their call, which is a deeper, huskier and I would say more confused sounding noise.  After you are aware of their presence, it's a matter of looking through the flock to find them.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Genus: Fringilla
Subspecies: None - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A Winter migrant in variable numnbers, (anywhere between 45,000 and 1,800,000 birds)

 - Migrant birds seen at Rutland Water (2 Winter plumage females in 2013) and Geddington (individuals seen in 2014, 2015 and 2016), .

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Jack Snipe (Lymnocryptes minimus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Lymnocryptes ("marsh hidden") minimus ("smallest")

Adult Jack Snipe (Lymnocryptes minimus) at Rutland Water - April 2013

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 33-73g  /  Length: 18-25cm  /  Wingspan: 30-41cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Jack Snipe are the smaller and more secretive relation of the Common Snipe.  They aren't actually that rare, and the main issue is that they are one of the stealthiest birds found in this country.  They are very well camoflaged and even more so than snipe will only generally be flushed at very close rangeat which point they tend to quickly drop back into the undergrowth.  Visually, they are pretty similar to Snipe but smaller, shorter and with a substantially shorter beak.  They are also prone to a characteristic bobbing when moving where they will be constantly bobbing as they move and feed.

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Lymnocryptes
Subspecies: None - monotypic

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A Winter migrant in variable numnbers, (anywhere between 110,000 birds)

 - Single birds seen at Rutland Water in April 2013, .

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Coccothraustes ("seed break") coccothraustes ("seed break")

Two adult Hawfinch (subspecies C. c. coccthraustes) at El Parod, Spain - April 2016

Featured Subspecies: Coccothraustes coccothraustes coccothraustes
Weight: 46-70g  /  Length: 18cm  /  Wingspan: 29-33cm
UK RED LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Hawfinches are simultaniously by far the biggest finch, and, strangely, the hardest to locate of all the species in the UK.  Theoretically, they are very widespread, but they are very secretive and generally will hide from humans long before you know they are there.   They are more easily seen in the Winter when leaves are off the trees, but even then it's probably easiest to go see one that has been reported as being around for a while like my first bird at Rutland Water.  On the Continent they are far more common, and I came across this pair along the river at El Pardo entirely by coincidence - something that in the UK would be a massive highlight of the day.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Fringillidae
Genus: Coccothraustes
Subspecies: C. c. coccothraustes, C. c. buvryri, C. c. nigricans, C. c. hummii, C. c. schulpini, C. c. japonicus

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Scarce breeding species (500-1000 pairs) and Wintering species (10-15,000 birds)

 - A single bird at Rutland Water in December 2012, 

SPAIN -  Spanish - Picogordo ("Fat beak")

Locally fairly common resident

 - MADRID 2016 TRIP: Two seen at El Pardo

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Bewick's Swan (Cygnus columbianus)

OTHER NAMES: Tundra Swan

Latin Etymology: Cygnus ("swan") columbianus ("of Colombia")

Three Adult Bewick's Swan (subspecies C. c. bewickii) at Nene Washes, Cambridgreshire - February 2024

Featured Subspecies: Cygnus columbianus bewickii
Weight: 3.4-9.6g  /  Length: 115-150cm  /  Wingspan: 170-210cm,
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The smallest of the three swans that are found in the UK, the Bewick's Swan is still a rather substantial bird.  Unlike the resident Mute Swan familiar to everyone, the other two species are purely Winter visitors, and are generally found at only a few sites where they congregate in very big numbers.  However, because they are migrants they can in theory turn up on any body of water big enough to support them.  Both migrant swans have yellow and black beaks rather than orange/black - the Bewick's can be differentiated by the yellow forming a round shape rather than a wedge as in the Whooper swan, and of course, the smaller size.

Related Species:
Order: Anseriformes
Family: Anatidae
Genus: Cygnus
Subspecies: C. c. columbianus, C.c. bewickii

 - Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A fairly scarce and local Winter migrant (approx. 2600 birds)

 - Flock of four Wintering birds seen on Rutland Water in 2011, numerous birds at Nene Washes in February 2024

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, BirdGuides, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Cetti's Warbler (Cettia cetti)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Cettia (after Francesco Cetti) cetti (after Francesco Cetti)

Adult Cett's Warbler (subspecies C. c. cetti) at Oare Marshes - September 2012

Featured Subspecies: Cettia cetti cetti
Weight: 12-15g  /  Length: 14cm  /  Wingspan: 17cm
UK GREEN LIST  / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Cetti's warbler is one of the most recent colonists to the UK - only establishing itself in 1973 - it is a reedbed dweller, and even compared to our other reedbed dwelling species can be a pain to catch more than a fleeting glance.  Unlike our other reedbed warbler species however, it remains in the UK during the winter.  Actually getting a positive identification on this species can be a pain, and you are much more likely to hear one than see one - but, if you look in the Winter when it'll be the only warbler in the reeds you might just strike lucky.  I've had a little luck playing back a recorded Cetti's song to get them to emerge.

Related Species:
Order: Passeriformes
Family: Cettidae
Genus: Cettia
Subspecies: C. c. cetti, C. c. orientalis, C. c. albiventris

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Unommon breeding resident (2000 males) in Southern Britain

 - Various sites including Rutland Water, Rainham Marshes, Ditchford Gravel Pits and Oare Marshes. 

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

Short-Eared Owl (Asio flammeus)

OTHER NAMES: N/A

Latin Etymology: Asio (specific designate of Long-eared Owl) flammeus ("fiery" or "flammulated"")

Adult Short-Eared Owl (subspecies A. f. flammeus) at Nene Washes, Cambridgeshire - February 2024

Featured Subspecies: Asio flammeus flammeus
Weight: 210-475g  /  Length: 32-43cm  /  Wingspan: 85-110cm
UK AMBER LIST / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

The Short-Eared Owl is perhaps one of the most visually striking UK owls, with its large yellow eyes.  Found on moorland for much of the year, it migrates south to more hospitible climes during the Winter where it may form roosts of multiple individuals, sometimes mixed with Long Earred Owls.  Unlike most owls, it is primarily a daylight flying bird, thus making it theoretically easier to see than all other species, it is however conversely more localised than Barn, Tawny or Little, so you actually need a reliable site to find them. 

Related Species:
Order:  Strigiformes
Family: Strigidae
Genus: Asio
Subspecies: A. f. flammeus, A. f. sandwichensis, A. f. domingensis, A. f. bogatensis, A. f. suinda, A. f. sanfordi, A. f. ponapensis, A. f. galapogoensis

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - Rare breeding species (600-2200 pairs) and scarce to locally abundant eruptive Winter visitor (5000-50000 birds)

 - Sites in good years have included Rutland Water, Harrington Airfield, Sheppey and Elmley Marshes

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .

White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis)

OTHER NAMES: Bonaparte's Sandpiper

Latin Etymology: Calidris (grey waterbird mentioned by Aristotle) fuscicollis ("dusky/brown")

Adult White-rumped Sandpiper (Calidris fuscicollis) at Frampton Marshes, Lincolnshire - September 2023

Featured Subspecies: N/A
Weight: 42g  /  Length: 17-20cm  /  Wingspan: 43cm
NO UK STATUS / IUCN Red List: Least Concern

Another North American vagrant species, they nest on the Northern Tundra of Canada and Alaska, and then Winter in northern South America. It is considered scarce in the UK and in all liklihood, you'll probably only find one if it's pointed out to you as it looks very much like a dunlin. It is however, slightly smaller, with a shorter, straighter beak and most tellingly very long wings which extend past the end of its tail when walking. Not necessarily the most visually stunning species in the world, but still incredibly impressive when you consider what a harsh environment this tiny fellow normally lives in and how far he's traveled to get here!

Related Species:
Order: Charadriiformes
Family: Scolopacidae
Genus: Calidris
Subspecies: none - monotypic

- Sighting Locations -

UNITED KINGDOM - A rare vagrant from North America.

 - A single bird seen at Rutland Water in October 2011, another at Frampton Marshes in September 2023.

Further Notes: BirdForum Opus, IUCN Red List, RSPB, Wikipedia, Xeno-canto .