What to See: Avian

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Sandwich Bay Bird Observatory Trust (SBBOT)

Please visit our "avian" page in "sightings" for information regarding the latest sightings of birds in our area.

To access a tick list of the birds, dragonflies and butterflies commonly seen in the Sandwich Bay area please click on bird, butterfly & dragonfly checklist.

Below is a list of all of the species that have been seen in the Sandwich Bay recording area, along with their current status, as of January 2009. To access a printable version of this list please click on COMPLETE birdlist.

The following codes are used:

R = resident, B = breeding species, S = summer visitor, W = winter visitor, P = passage migrant, V = vagrant, X = seen, but not since Observatory founded (1952)

1 = occurs less than annually, 2 = annual but rare, 3 = scarcely seen, 4 = usually seen, 5 = common

Mute Swan R4 B4 W5  
Bewick's Swan W3 P2  
Whooper Swan W3 P2  
Bean Goose W1  
Pink-footed Goose W1  
White-fronted Goose W3  
Greylag Goose R2 B2 W5  
Canada Goose R2 B1 W3  
Barnacle Goose W1  
Brent Goose W4 P5  
Egyptian Goose V  
Shelduck R4 B4 P4  
Mandarin Duck V  
Wigeon W4 P3  
American Wigeon V  
Gadwall R3 B1 W4  
Teal R3 B1 W4 P4  
Green-winged Teal V  
Mallard R4 B4 W4 P4  
Pintail B1 W3 P1  
Garganey B1 S2 P2  
Blue-winged Teal V  
Shoveler B1 W3 P3  
Red-crested Pochard V  
Pochard R1 B1 W4  
Ferruginous Duck V  
Tufted Duck R4 B3 W4 P3  
Scaup W1 P1  
Common Eider S1 W3 P3  
Long-tailed Duck W1  
Common Scoter W3 P3    
Velvet Scoter W1 P1  
Goldeneye W2 P2  
Smew W1  
Red-breasted Merganser W3 P3  
Goosander W1 P1  
Ruddy Duck S1 W1  
Red-legged Partridge R2  
Grey Partridge R4 B4  
Quail B1 S1 P2  
Pheasant R4 B4  
Red-throated Diver W4 P3  
Black-throated Diver W2 P3  
Great Northern Diver W1  
Little Grebe R4 B2 W4  
Great Crested Grebe S1 W4 P2  
Red-necked Grebe W1 P1  
Slavonian Grebe W1  
Black-necked Grebe W1  
Fulmar S4 W4 P4  
Cory's Shearwater V  
Sooty Shearwater V  
Manx Shearwater V  
Balearic Shearwater V  
Storm Petrel V  
Leach's Petrel V  
Gannet W3 P3  
Cormorant R4 W4 P4  
Shag W2 P2  
Bittern V  
Little Bittern V  
Night Heron V  
Cattle Egret V  
Little Egret R4 S4 W4  
Great White Egret V  
Grey Heron R4 W4 P4  
Purple Heron V  
Black Stork V  
White Stork P1  
Glossy Ibis V  
Spoonbill P1  
Honey Buzzard P1  
Black Kite V  
Red Kite P1  
Marsh Harrier W3 P3  
Hen Harrier W3 P3  
Montagu's Harrier S1 P1  
Goshawk V  
Sparrowhawk R4 B4 W4 P4  
Common Buzzard P3  
Rough-legged Buzzard W1 P1  
Osprey P1  
Common Kestrel R4 B4 P4  
Red-footed Falcon V  
Merlin W3 P3  
Hobby S4 P3  
Peregrine R3 W3  
Water Rail R1 B1 W3 P3  
Spotted Crake V  
Baillon's Crake X  
Corncrake V  
Moorhen R5 B5 W5  
Coot R4 B4 W4  
Common Crane V  
Oystercatcher R4 B4 W5  
Avocet W2 P3  
Stone Curlew V  
Cream-coloured Courser X  
Collared Pratincole V  
Black-winged Pratincole V  
Little Ringed Plover B1 P3  
Ringed Plover R4 B4 W4 P4  
Kentish Plover P1  
Dotterel P1  
American Golden Plover V  
Pacific Golden Plover V  
Golden Plover W5 P4  
Grey Plover W5 P4  
Sociable Plover V  
Lapwing R4 B4 W5 P5  
Knot W4 P4  
Sanderling W4 P4  
Little Stint W1 P3  
Temminck's Stint P1  
Least Sandpiper V  
White-rumped Sandpiper V  
Baird's Sandpiper V  
Pectoral Sandpiper V  
Sharp-tailed Sandpiper V  
Curlew Sandpiper P3  
Purple Sandpiper W1 P1  
Dunlin W5 P4  
Broad-billed Sandpiper V  
Buff-breasted Sandpiper V  
Ruff W3 P3  
Jack Snipe W3 P2  
Common Snipe R3 W4 P3  
Long-billed Dowitcher V  
Woodcock W3 P3  
Black-tailed Godwit W1 P3

Black-tailed Godwit

Bar-tailed Godwit W4 P4
Whimbrel P4
Curlew R4 W4 P4
Terek Sandpiper V
Common Sandpiper W1 P4
Green Sandpiper W2 P4
Spotted Redshank W2 P3
Greenshank W1 P4
Lesser Yellowlegs V
Marsh Sandpiper V
Wood Sandpiper P3
Common Redshank R4 B3 W4 P4
Turnstone W4 P3
Red-necked Phalarope V
Grey Phalarope V
Pomarine Skua W1 P1
Arctic Skua P3
Long-tailed Skua P1  
Great Skua P2  
Ivory Gull X  
Sabine's Gull P1  
Kittiwake W3 P4  
Black-headed Gull R4 W5 P5  
Little Gull W1 P3  
Laughing Gull V Little Gull
Mediterranean Gull R3 S3 W2
Common Gull R3 W5 P5
Ring-billed Gull V
Lesser Black-backed Gull S4 W4 P4
Herring Gull S4 W5 P4
Yellow-legged Gull W1 P2
Caspian Gull W2 P1
Iceland Gull W1
Glaucous Gull W2  
Great Black-backed Gull R4 W5 P4  
Little Tern B1 S4 P4  
Gull-billed Tern V  
Caspian Tern V  
Black Tern P3  
White-winged Black Tern V  
Sandwich Tern S4 W2 P4  
Lesser Crested Tern V  
Common Tern S2 P4  
Roseate Tern P2  
Arctic Tern P3  
Guillemot W3 P2  
Razorbill W2 P1  
Black Guillemot V  
Little Auk P2  
Puffin V  
Feral Pigeon R5  
Stock Dove R4 B4 W4 P4  
Woodpigeon R4 B4 W5 P4  
Collared Dove R5 B5 W5 P3  
Turtle Dove B3 S4 P4  
Ring-necked Parakeet R3  
Great Spotted Cuckoo V  
Cuckoo B4 S4 P4  
Barn Owl R3 B2 W3 Short-eared Owl
Little Owl R3 B3 W3
Tawny Owl R2 B1 
Long-eared Owl R2 W2 P3
Short-eared Owl S1 W4 P4
Nightjar V
Common Swift S4 P5
Alpine Swift V
Common Kingfisher R3 B1 W3
European Bee-eater V
Hoopoe P1
Wryneck P2
Green Woodpecker  R4 B4 W5
Great Spotted Woodpecker R4 B3 W4 P4
Lesser Spotted Woodpecker R1
Short toed lark V  
Woodlark P1  
Skylark R5 B4 W5 P5  
Shorelark W1 P1  
Sand Martin S4 P5  
Swallow B4 S5 P5  
House Martin B5 S5 P5  
Red-rumped Swallow V  
Richard's Pipit V  
Tawny Pipit P1  
Olive-backed Pipit V  
Tree Pipit P3  
Meadow Pipit R5 B5 W5 P5  
Red-throated Pipit V  
Rock Pipit S1 W4 P2  
Water Pipit W2 P2  
Yellow Wagtail B4 S5 P5  
Citrine Wagtail V  
Grey Wagtail W3 P3  
Pied Wagtail R4 B3 P4  
Waxwing V  
Dipper V  
Wren R5 B5 W5 P4  
Dunnock R5 B5 W5 P4  
Robin R5 B5 W5 P4  
Thrush Nightingale V  
Nightingale S3 B1 P3  
Bluethroat P1  
Red-flanked Bluetail V  
Black Redstart W2 P3  
Common Redstart P3  
Whinchat P4  
Stonechat R3 B2 W4 P3  
Wheatear B1 S3 P4  
Desert Wheatear V  
Swainson's Thrush V  
Ring Ouzel P3  
Blackbird R5 B5 W5 P5  
Fieldfare S1 W4 P4  
Song Thrush R4 B4 W4 P5 Aquatic Warbler
Redwing B1 W4 P4
Mistle Thrush R4 B4
Cetti's Warbler B4 P3
Grasshopper Warbler B1 P3
Savi's Warbler V
Aquatic Warbler V
Sedge Warbler B4 S4 P5
Marsh Warbler P1
Reed Warbler B5 S5 P5
Great Reed Warbler V
Eastern Olivaceous Warbler V
Icterine Warbler P1
Melodious Warbler V
Blackcap B4 S4 P5  
Garden Warbler B2 S3 P4  
Barred Warbler P1  
Lesser Whitethroat B2 S3 P4  
Common Whitethroat B5 S4 P4  
Dartford Warbler W1 P1  
Subalpine Warbler V  
Sardinian Warbler V  
Greenish Warbler V  
Arctic Warbler V  
Pallas's Warbler P1

Pallas's Warbler

Yellow-browed Warbler P2
Hume's Warbler V
Radde's Warbler V
Dusky Warbler V
Western Bonelli's Warbler V
Wood Warbler P2
Chiffchaff B2 S4 W3 P5
Willow Warbler B1 S3 P5
Goldcrest W3 P4
Firecrest W3 P4
Spotted Flycatcher S2 P3
Red-breasted Flycatcher P1
Pied Flycatcher P3  
Bearded Tit W2 P2  
Long-tailed Tit R4 B4 P4  
Blue Tit R5 B4 P4  
Great Tit R5 B4 P4  
Coal Tit P3  
Willow Tit V  
Marsh Tit V  
Nuthatch R1  
Common Treecreeper R1  
Short-toed Treecreeper V Red-backed Shrike
Penduline Tit V
Golden Oriole P1
Isabelline Shrike V
Red-backed Shrike P2
Lesser Grey Shrike V
Great Grey Shrike W1 P1
Woodchat Shrike V
Jay R3 B3 P3
Magpie R5 B5 W5  
Nutcracker V  
Jackdaw R5 B5 P4  
Rook R4 B5 P4  
Carrion Crow R5 B5  
Hooded Crow V  
Raven V  
Starling R5 B5 W5 P5  
Rose-coloured Starling V  
House Sparrow R5 B5 W5  
Tree Sparrow W3 P3    
Chaffinch R4 B3 W4 P5  
Brambling W3 P3  
Serin V  
Greenfinch R5 B5 W5 P5  
Goldfinch R4 B4 W3 P5  
Siskin W2 P4  
Linnet R4 B5 W3 P5  
Twite W3  
Lesser Redpoll P4  
Common Redpoll P1  
Common Crossbill P1  
Parrot Crossbill V

Reed Bunting

Common Rosefinch V
Bullfinch R2 B1 P2
Hawfinch V
Lapland Bunting W2 P2
Snow Bunting W4 P2
Yellowhammer R3 B1 W4
Ortolan Bunting V
Little Bunting V
Reed Bunting R4 B4 W4
Black-headed Bunting V
Corn Bunting R4 B4 W4

 

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SBBOT registered charity number 28934