Birds of Potton
What has actually been seen around Potton: 163 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 163 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 41,049 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Blue Tit
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 46 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Potton
163 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Potton (Central Bedfordshire) since 2010, across 41,049 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Blue Tit, Robin and Woodpigeon.
Potton is a garden-bird place: 83% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Blue Tit, Robin, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
15 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Red Kite and Common Kestrel. 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 2.9 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.
Gamlingay, 3 km to the north-east, has fewer species on record (138 against 163). Birds logged far more often around Potton than there include Mute Swan and Great Cormorant.
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 4:39 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Potton
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 2,089 |
| 2 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 1,982 |
| 3 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,918 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 1,692 |
| 5 | Great TitParus major | 1,596 |
| 6 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 1,520 |
| 7 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 1,499 |
| 8 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 1,472 |
| 9 | MagpiePica pica | 1,187 |
| 10 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 1,120 |
| 11 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 1,088 |
| 12 | Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis | 1,046 |
| 13 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 948 |
| 14 | Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major | 882 |
| 15 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 865 |
| 16 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 863 |
| 17 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 841 |
| 18 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 787 |
| 19 | NuthatchSitta europaea | 782 |
| 20 | GoldcrestRegulus regulus | 735 |
Records by month
What to put out in Potton
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 Potton?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Potton are Blue Tit, Robin, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow and Great Tit, based on 41,049 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Potton?
163 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Potton?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:39.
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.