Birds of Alconbury
What has actually been seen around Alconbury: 140 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 140 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 4,400 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 21 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Alconbury
140 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Alconbury (Cambridgeshire) since 2010, across 4,400 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Lesser Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon and Blue Tit.
Alconbury is a garden-bird place: 63% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Blackbird and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
15 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Red Kite, Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel. 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 February — about 7.3 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.
Great Stukeley, 4 km to the east, has more species on record (159 against 140). Birds logged far more often around Alconbury than there include Marsh Tit and Nuthatch.
Daylight runs from 16 h 48 min at midsummer to 7 h 41 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:05 in mid-April and 4:38 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Alconbury
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 425 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 175 |
| 3 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 157 |
| 4 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 150 |
| 5 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 148 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 146 |
| 7 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 139 |
| 8 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 115 |
| 9 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 115 |
| 10 | Great TitParus major | 104 |
| 11 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 96 |
| 12 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 96 |
| 13 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 95 |
| 14 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 95 |
| 15 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 94 |
| 16 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 91 |
| 17 | MagpiePica pica | 85 |
| 18 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 81 |
| 19 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 79 |
| 20 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 74 |
Records by month
What to put out in Alconbury
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Cambridgeshire
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 Alconbury?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Alconbury are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Carrion Crow and Robin, based on 4,400 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Alconbury?
140 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Alconbury?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in February. Sunrise in late June is around 4:38.
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.