Birds of Bourn
What has actually been seen around Bourn: 146 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 146 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 15,105 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 40 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Bourn
146 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Bourn (Cambridgeshire) since 2010, across 15,105 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit and Blackbird.
Bourn is a garden-bird place: 72% 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 Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
16 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel and Red Kite. 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 January — about 2.3 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.
Cambourne, 3 km to the north, has a similar number of species on record (149 against 146).
Daylight runs from 16 h 46 min at midsummer to 7 h 43 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 Bourn
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 578 |
| 2 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 457 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 450 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 448 |
| 5 | MagpiePica pica | 409 |
| 6 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 408 |
| 7 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 394 |
| 8 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 390 |
| 9 | Great TitParus major | 371 |
| 10 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 364 |
| 11 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 329 |
| 12 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 324 |
| 13 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 310 |
| 14 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 310 |
| 15 | YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella | 304 |
| 16 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 294 |
| 17 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 293 |
| 18 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 279 |
| 19 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 271 |
| 20 | Common LinnetLinaria cannabina | 264 |
Records by month
What to put out in Bourn
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 Bourn?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Bourn are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Robin and Magpie, based on 15,105 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Bourn?
146 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Bourn?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in January. 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.