Regular spring and autumn passage migrant.

Common Sandpipers are regularly seen on passage at Fairlands Valley Lakes from where they were first recorded on 1 May 1973. Since 1994, except for 2006 they have been recorded annually.

On spring migration usually single birds are seen but, three were seen on 20 April 1977, two on 3 May 1977, four on 5 and 11 May 1978, three on 26 May 1978, five between 3 and 9 May 1980, two on 14 May 1981, two seen displaying by the Environmental Lake on 9 May 2016 and three seen on 29 April 2023 and 30 April 2024.

They are also seen on autumn migration, mostly single birds recorded during July August and September the exceptions being, two seen on 27 July 1981, four on 12 August 2004, two on 18 July 2021, two plus on 21 July 2022, two on 19 August 2022, five on 16 July 2023, three, possibly four on 18 August 2023 and 15 on 13 September 2023.

The latest date they have been recorded is 29 September 2021.

There are also four records from June: two seen on 30 June 1998; one on 26 June 2009; three on 2 June 2023; two on 30 June 2023.

Migration through Stevenage was also, noted by Foster (1914) and by the Stevenage Woodland Conservation Trust, which recorded in 1969 that they are often heard over Whomerley Wood at night during the spring and, autumn, indicating that Stevenage is on an ancient and regular passage route for Common Sandpipers. 

In 1907 Mr S. Maples reported that a Common Sandpiper was picked up near a roadside at Stevenage and that another was killed in a pond near the sewage farm on 2 November 1907. (The sewage Farm is now the site of the Roaring Meg Retail Park.)

Other records are: one flying across the pitch at Broadhall Way during a floodlight match on 26 March 1969, one heard calling over the town on 14 August 1969, one heard calling over Chells at night on 5 July 1970, one seen by the stream at Bragbury End on 2 September 1973, one at Astonbury Manor House Pond on 18 May 1975, and one at Norton Green Tip on 3 May 2012.