The Wood Sandpiper nests singly on open mires and in fens. The nest is a shallow scrape on a tussock, lined with a little plant material. Sometimes the Wood Sandpiper instead uses old tree nests left by thrushes. The female usually lays 4 eggs, which are incubated by both parents. The young are nidifugous, leaving the nest soon after hatching to find food themselves under their parents' watch.