Widespread winter visitor

Temminck’s Stint

Tiny, rather plain wader with short, fine, slightly down-curved bill, pale yellowish legs; rather parallel posture; non-breeding adult has more uniform grey-brown upperparts, grey wash on breast, white underparts; darker black and brown patterning on upperparts in breeding, with darker head and breast; in flight, differs from other stints by white outer-tail feathers; fairly, but not overly, gregarious; singly, or in small scattered flocks; shy, skulking at edges of wetlands; easily overlooked; slower, less active feeder than other stints.

Wood Sandpiper

Sexes alike. Grey-brown above, closely spotted with white; slender build; white rump and tail; white below; brown on breast; no wing bar. Summer: dark olivebrown above, spotted white. The Green Sandpiper T. ochropus is stouter, more shy, much darker and glossy brown-olive above; in flight, white rump contrasts strikingly with dark upper body; blackish below wings diagnostic. Small to medium-size flocks, often with other waders; quite active, probing deep into mud or feeding at edge.

Green Sandpiper

Medium-sized, dark, stocky sandpiper with relatively short green legs; white-spotted dark greenish brown upperparts; crown, neck and breast streaked more heavily in breeding adult; white eye-rings and lores; very dark underwing, visible in flight, with white rump, belly and vent, and dark banded tail diagnostic; usually solitary; shy, wary; easily overlooked.

Common Greenshank

Sexes alike. Grey-brown above; long, slightly upcurved, blackish beak; white forehead and underbody; in flight, white lower back, rump and absence of white
in wings diagnostic; long, greenish legs. In summer, darker above, with blackish centres to feathers. The Marsh Sandpiper T. stagnatilis is very similar but smaller and has distinctly longer legs; also has distinctive call. Either solitary or small groups of two to six birds, often with Common Redshanks and other waders; feeds at edge of water but may enter water to belly level.

Black-tailed Godwit

Sexes alike. Female slightly larger than male. Grey-brown above; whitish below; very long, straight beak; in flight, broad, white wing-bars, white
rump and black tail-tip distinctive. In summer, dull rufous-red on head, neck and breast, with close-barred lower breast and flanks. The Bar-tailed Godwit
L. lapponica has a slightly upcurved beak; in flight, lack of white wing-bars and barred black and white tail help identification. Gregarious, often with other large waders; quite active, probing with long beak; wades in water, the long legs often barely visible; fast and graceful, low flight.

Common Teal

Male: greyish with chestnut head with broad metallic-green band from eye to nape with yellow-white border. Black, green and buff wing speculum. Female:
mottled dark and light brown; pale belly and black and green wing speculum. Most common migratory duck. Swift flier and difficult to circumvent.

Gadwall

Dull, largely grey-brown duck. Male has finely speckled grey head, heavier speckled grey breast, dark grey bill, grey-brown upper body, white belly, black rear; white speculum in both sexes diagnostic. Female has buff-brown head, orange-sided grey bill, mottled and scalloped brown body. Eclipse male similar to female, but paler grey and less mottled. Gregarious, but shy; sometimes in small mixed flocks; surface feeder, often up-ending.

Widespread winter visitor

Temminck’s Stint

Wood Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper

Common Greenshank

Black-tailed Godwit

Common Teal

Gadwall

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Widespread winter visitor

Temminck’s Stint

Wood Sandpiper

Green Sandpiper

Common Greenshank

Black-tailed Godwit

Common Teal

Gadwall

Pages

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