Birds of Castle Vale
What has actually been seen around Castle Vale: 124 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 124 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 10,759 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 87 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Castle Vale
124 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Castle Vale (Birmingham) since 2010, across 10,759 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Magpie.
Castle Vale 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. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Magpie and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
11 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel 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 April and are lowest in November — about 3.5 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.
Water Orton, 4 km to the east, has more species on record (180 against 124). Birds logged far more often around Castle Vale than there include House Sparrow and Swift.
Daylight runs from 16 h 50 min at midsummer to 7 h 39 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:11 in mid-April and 4:43 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Castle Vale
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 593 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 512 |
| 3 | MagpiePica pica | 491 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 487 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 478 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 455 |
| 7 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 371 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 342 |
| 9 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 338 |
| 10 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 324 |
| 11 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 261 |
| 12 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 237 |
| 13 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 229 |
| 14 | Stock DoveColumba oenas | 221 |
| 15 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 201 |
| 16 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 197 |
| 17 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 195 |
| 18 | SwiftApus apus | 192 |
| 19 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 178 |
| 20 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 174 |
Records by month
What to put out in Castle Vale
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Birmingham
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 Castle Vale?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Castle Vale are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Magpie, Robin and Carrion Crow, based on 10,759 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Castle Vale?
124 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Castle Vale?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:43.
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.