Birds of Fordham
What has actually been seen around Fordham: 148 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 148 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 14,111 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 12 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Fordham
148 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Fordham (Cambridgeshire) since 2010, across 14,111 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Lesser Black-backed Gull, Blackbird and Woodpigeon.
Fordham is a garden-bird place: 66% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Robin and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
13 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel 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 4.0 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.
Chippenham, 3 km to the east, has fewer species on record (130 against 148). Birds logged far more often around Fordham than there include Common Moorhen and Mute Swan.
Daylight runs from 16 h 48 min at midsummer to 7 h 41 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:03 in mid-April and 4:35 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Fordham
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 2,479 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 611 |
| 3 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 573 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 504 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 475 |
| 6 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 426 |
| 7 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 407 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 378 |
| 9 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 367 |
| 10 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 347 |
| 11 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 343 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 334 |
| 13 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 328 |
| 14 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 317 |
| 15 | MagpiePica pica | 308 |
| 16 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 280 |
| 17 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 250 |
| 18 | BlackcapSylvia atricapilla | 250 |
| 19 | SwiftApus apus | 243 |
| 20 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 225 |
Records by month
What to put out in Fordham
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 Fordham?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Fordham are Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Robin, Blue Tit and Wren, based on 14,111 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Fordham?
148 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Fordham?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:35.
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.