Birds of Bassingbourn
What has actually been seen around Bassingbourn: 163 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 163 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 6,921 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 30 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Bassingbourn
163 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Bassingbourn (Cambridgeshire) since 2010, across 6,921 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Swift and Blackbird.
Bassingbourn is a garden-bird place: 71% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin and Magpie make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
18 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 April and are lowest in December — about 3.7 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.
Royston, 4 km to the south-east, has fewer species on record (128 against 163). Birds logged far more often around Bassingbourn than there include Merlin, Hen Harrier, Eurasian Hobby and Hawfinch.
Daylight runs from 16 h 45 min at midsummer to 7 h 44 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:05 in mid-April and 4:39 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Bassingbourn
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 387 |
| 2 | SwiftApus apus | 252 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 237 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 219 |
| 5 | MagpiePica pica | 218 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 214 |
| 7 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 207 |
| 8 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 202 |
| 9 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 178 |
| 10 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 163 |
| 11 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 161 |
| 12 | Great TitParus major | 161 |
| 13 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 158 |
| 14 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 153 |
| 15 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 149 |
| 16 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 133 |
| 17 | Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensis | 131 |
| 18 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 124 |
| 19 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 123 |
| 20 | Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus | 116 |
Records by month
What to put out in Bassingbourn
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 Bassingbourn?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Bassingbourn are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin, Magpie and Carrion Crow, based on 6,921 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Bassingbourn?
163 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Bassingbourn?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:39.
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.