Birds of Sawston
What has actually been seen around Sawston: 203 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 203 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 103,538 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 27 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Sawston
203 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Sawston (Cambridgeshire) since 2010, across 103,538 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Jackdaw and Carrion Crow.
Sawston is a garden-bird place: 70% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
14 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel and Red Kite.
Records peak in April and are lowest in December — about 2.0 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.
Duxford, 3 km to the south, has fewer species on record (166 against 203). Birds logged far more often around Sawston than there include Tufted Duck, Eurasian Coot, Little Grebe and Great Crested Grebe.
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 4:37 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Sawston
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 4,381 |
| 2 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 3,637 |
| 3 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 3,297 |
| 4 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 3,289 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 3,188 |
| 6 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 2,965 |
| 7 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 2,880 |
| 8 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 2,854 |
| 9 | MagpiePica pica | 2,726 |
| 10 | Great TitParus major | 2,599 |
| 11 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 2,332 |
| 12 | Pied WagtailMotacilla alba | 2,325 |
| 13 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 2,126 |
| 14 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 2,026 |
| 15 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 1,930 |
| 16 | Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensis | 1,927 |
| 17 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 1,838 |
| 18 | GreenfinchChloris chloris | 1,789 |
| 19 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 1,724 |
| 20 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 1,651 |
Records by month
What to put out in Sawston
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 Sawston?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Sawston are Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit and Robin, based on 103,538 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Sawston?
203 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Sawston?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in December. 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.