Birds of Harston
What has actually been seen around Harston: 215 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 215 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 108,131 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 17 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Harston
215 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Harston (Cambridgeshire) since 2010, across 108,131 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow and Jackdaw.
Harston is a garden-bird place: 62% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw and Magpie make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
16 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Kestrel, Common Buzzard and Red Kite.
Records peak in April and are lowest in July — about 4.2 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.
Shepreth, 4 km to the south-west, has fewer species on record (188 against 215). Birds logged far more often around Harston than there include Tufted Duck, Mute Swan, Great Crested Grebe and Great Cormorant.
Daylight runs from 16 h 46 min at midsummer to 7 h 43 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:04 in mid-April and 4:38 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Harston
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 4,467 |
| 2 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 3,615 |
| 3 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 3,313 |
| 4 | MagpiePica pica | 3,293 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 2,954 |
| 6 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 2,916 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 2,912 |
| 8 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 2,885 |
| 9 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 2,618 |
| 10 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 2,542 |
| 11 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 2,339 |
| 12 | Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensis | 2,285 |
| 13 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 2,280 |
| 14 | Pied WagtailMotacilla alba | 2,232 |
| 15 | Great TitParus major | 2,155 |
| 16 | Tufted DuckAythya fuligula | 2,104 |
| 17 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 1,985 |
| 18 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 1,930 |
| 19 | Eurasian CootFulica atra | 1,919 |
| 20 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 1,904 |
Records by month
What to put out in Harston
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 Harston?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Harston are Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw, Magpie and Robin, based on 108,131 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Harston?
215 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Harston?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in July. 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.