Birds of Ampthill
What has actually been seen around Ampthill: 155 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 155 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 25,624 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 95 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Ampthill
155 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Ampthill (Central Bedfordshire) since 2010, across 25,624 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit and Blackbird.
Ampthill is a garden-bird place: 73% 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 Great Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
11 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Red Kite, Common Buzzard 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 April and are lowest in September — about 5.3 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.
Greenfield, 3 km to the south-east, has fewer species on record (123 against 155). Birds logged far more often around Ampthill than there include Little Grebe, Tufted Duck, Great Crested Grebe and Cetti's Warbler.
Daylight runs from 16 h 44 min at midsummer to 7 h 44 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:07 in mid-April and 4:41 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Ampthill
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,767 |
| 2 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 1,476 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 1,220 |
| 4 | Great TitParus major | 1,218 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 1,187 |
| 6 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 983 |
| 7 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 906 |
| 8 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 873 |
| 9 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 813 |
| 10 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 777 |
| 11 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 777 |
| 12 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 657 |
| 13 | MagpiePica pica | 656 |
| 14 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 641 |
| 15 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 637 |
| 16 | GreenfinchChloris chloris | 518 |
| 17 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 515 |
| 18 | Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major | 500 |
| 19 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 409 |
| 20 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 380 |
Records by month
What to put out in Ampthill
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Central Bedfordshire
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 Ampthill?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Ampthill are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Great Tit and Robin, based on 25,624 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Ampthill?
155 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Ampthill?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:41.
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.