Birds of Milton Ernest
What has actually been seen around Milton Ernest: 117 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 117 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 1,683 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Carrion Crow
- Busiest month
- August
- Elevation
- 48 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Milton Ernest
117 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Milton Ernest (Bedford) since 2010, across 1,683 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Carrion Crow, Magpie and Robin.
Milton Ernest is a garden-bird place: 69% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Carrion Crow, Magpie, Robin and Woodpigeon make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
11 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Red Kite, Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel.
Records peak in August and are lowest in January — about 5.3 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.
Stevington, 4 km to the south-west, has a similar number of species on record (116 against 117).
Daylight runs from 16 h 46 min at midsummer to 7 h 43 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:06 in mid-April and 4:40 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Milton Ernest
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 83 |
| 2 | MagpiePica pica | 72 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 70 |
| 4 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 68 |
| 5 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 67 |
| 6 | SwiftApus apus | 59 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 55 |
| 8 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 53 |
| 9 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 50 |
| 10 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 44 |
| 11 | Great TitParus major | 44 |
| 12 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 41 |
| 13 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 38 |
| 14 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 37 |
| 15 | Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis | 35 |
| 16 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 32 |
| 17 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 30 |
| 18 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 30 |
| 19 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 28 |
| 20 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 26 |
Records by month
What to put out in Milton Ernest
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Bedford
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 Milton Ernest?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Milton Ernest are Carrion Crow, Magpie, Robin, Woodpigeon and Blue Tit, based on 1,683 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Milton Ernest?
117 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Milton Ernest?
Observation records peak in August and are lowest in January. Sunrise in late June is around 4:40.
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.