Birds of Balsham
What has actually been seen around Balsham: 99 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 99 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 1,964 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 113 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Balsham
99 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Balsham (Cambridgeshire) since 2010, across 1,964 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Lesser Black-backed Gull, Swift and Woodpigeon.
Balsham is a garden-bird place: 68% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Robin and Blackbird make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
10 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Red Kite 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 November — about 7.7 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.
Linton, 5 km to the south-west, has more species on record (108 against 99). Birds logged far more often around Balsham than there include Marsh Tit.
Daylight runs from 16 h 46 min at midsummer to 7 h 43 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:03 in mid-April and 4:37 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Balsham
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 213 |
| 2 | SwiftApus apus | 94 |
| 3 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 86 |
| 4 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 70 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 70 |
| 6 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 65 |
| 7 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 56 |
| 8 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 54 |
| 9 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 50 |
| 10 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 47 |
| 11 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 47 |
| 12 | Great TitParus major | 46 |
| 13 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 43 |
| 14 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 41 |
| 15 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 39 |
| 16 | MagpiePica pica | 38 |
| 17 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 37 |
| 18 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 35 |
| 19 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 35 |
| 20 | YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella | 33 |
Records by month
What to put out in Balsham
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 Balsham?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Balsham are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Robin, Blackbird and Goldfinch, based on 1,964 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Balsham?
99 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Balsham?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:37.
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.