Birds of View Royal

361 bird species have been recorded within 6 mi of the centre of View Royal (British Columbia) since 2010, across 2,956,353 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Anna's Hummingbird, American Robin and Chestnut-backed Chickadee.

View Royal is backyard-bird country: 68% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and yard trees. Anna's Hummingbird, American Robin, Chestnut-backed Chickadee and Spotted Towhee make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

28 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Bald Eagle, Turkey Vulture and Red-tailed Hawk.

Records peak in May and are lowest in July — about 2.0 times as many in the busiest month. Part of that is birds (migrants and breeding arrivals), part is people: more birders are out in good weather, so treat the curve as activity, not a census.

Esquimalt, 2 mi to the south-east, has more species on record (378 against 361).

Daylight runs from 16 h 7 min at midsummer to 8 h 18 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:25 AM in mid-April and 5:11 AM in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Foods for the most recorded backyard birds here, from our species notes.

• Anna's Hummingbird

  Sugar water: 1 part sugar to 4 parts water

• American Robin

  Mealworms · Chopped apple and berries · Suet nuggets

• Chestnut-backed Chickadee

  Black-oil sunflower · Suet

• Spotted Towhee

  Millet · Sunflower chips

• American Crow

  Cracked corn · Peanuts in the shell · Suet scraps

• Dark-eyed Junco

  White proso millet · Hulled sunflower · Cracked corn

• Esquimalt2 mi south-east · 378 species
• Metchosin6 mi south-west · 330 species
• Oak Bay7 mi east · 367 species
• Central Saanich8 mi north · 321 species
• Brentwood Bay9 mi north · 306 species
• Saanichton10 mi north · 303 species