Birds of Bath
What has actually been seen around Bath: 167 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 167 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 146,021 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- January
- Elevation
- 96 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Bath
167 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Bath (Bath and North East Somerset) since 2010, across 146,021 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Robin and Blue Tit.
Bath is a garden-bird place: 77% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Robin, Blue Tit and Magpie make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
14 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon and Eurasian Sparrowhawk. A hawk that hunts feeder birds is among them, so set feeders 2–3 metres from shrubs: close enough for cover, far enough that a cat can't ambush from it.
Records peak in January and are lowest in September — about 1.9 times as many in the busiest month. Part of that is birds (migrants and winter visitors), part is people: more birders are out in good weather, so treat the curve as activity, not a census.
Limpley Stoke, 5 km to the south-east, has fewer species on record (158 against 167). Birds logged far more often around Bath than there include Eurasian Teal.
Daylight runs from 16 h 37 min at midsummer to 7 h 51 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:15 in mid-April and 4:52 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Bath
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 8,362 |
| 2 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 7,614 |
| 3 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 7,603 |
| 4 | MagpiePica pica | 7,439 |
| 5 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 7,385 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 5,609 |
| 7 | Great TitParus major | 5,533 |
| 8 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 5,179 |
| 9 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 4,947 |
| 10 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 4,791 |
| 11 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 4,630 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 4,585 |
| 13 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 4,462 |
| 14 | BlackcapSylvia atricapilla | 3,376 |
| 15 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 2,869 |
| 16 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 2,833 |
| 17 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 2,756 |
| 18 | SwiftApus apus | 2,640 |
| 19 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 2,603 |
| 20 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 2,553 |
Records by month
What to put out in Bath
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Bath and North East Somerset
What's arriving, what to feed and when to clean feeders, written for UK gardens. One email a month at most.
Nearby places
Frequently asked
What birds visit gardens in Bath?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Bath are Woodpigeon, Robin, Blue Tit, Magpie and Blackbird, based on 146,021 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Bath?
167 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Bath?
Observation records peak in January and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:52.
Sources
- GBIF occurrence search (birds, class Aves, 2010 onward)
- GeoNames gazetteer (place, population, elevation)
Timing reflects typical patterns for the region as a whole; local dates vary with elevation and year. Check the linked eBird bar charts for your county.