Caerphilly County Borough · 51.60°N

Birds of Machen

What has actually been seen around Machen: 101 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record: 101 within 5 km
Observation records: 2,939 since 2010
Most recorded bird: Blackbird
Busiest month: May
Elevation: 55 m
Daylight, June / December: 16.7 h / 7.8 h

What the records say about Machen

101 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Machen (Caerphilly County Borough) since 2010, across 2,939 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Blackbird, Robin and Woodpigeon.

Machen is a garden-bird place: 80% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Blackbird, Robin, Woodpigeon and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

7 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Tawny Owl 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 May and are lowest in October — about 6.8 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.

Risca, 3 km to the north-east, has more species on record (151 against 101).

Daylight runs from 16 h 40 min at midsummer to 7 h 49 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:18 in mid-April and 4:54 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near Machen

#	Bird	Records
1	BlackbirdTurdus merula	201
2	RobinErithacus rubecula	189
3	WoodpigeonColumba palumbus	172
4	Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus	118
5	MallardAnas platyrhynchos	117
6	Carrion CrowCorvus corone	114
7	Great TitParus major	98
8	House SparrowPasser domesticus	84
9	WrenTroglodytes troglodytes	81
10	SwiftApus apus	79
11	MagpiePica pica	68
12	Song ThrushTurdus philomelos	68
13	DunnockPrunella modularis	66
14	JackdawColoeus monedula	66
15	Common BuzzardButeo buteo	65
16	ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita	65
17	ChaffinchFringilla coelebs	64
18	Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus	60
19	GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis	56
20	Coal TitPeriparus ater	53

Records by month

What to put out in Machen

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

Blackbird
Soaked sultanas · Apples · Mealworms
Robin
Mealworms · Suet pellets · Sunflower hearts
Woodpigeon
Seed mix
Blue Tit
Sunflower hearts · Peanuts (mesh feeder only) · Suet
Great Tit
Sunflower hearts · Peanuts · Suet
House Sparrow
Seed mix · Sunflower hearts · Suet

Seasonal bird notes for Caerphilly County Borough

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 Machen?

The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Machen are Blackbird, Robin, Woodpigeon, Blue Tit and Carrion Crow, based on 2,939 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Machen?

101 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).

When is the best month for birds in Machen?

Observation records peak in May and are lowest in October. Sunrise in late June is around 4:54.

Sources

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.