Birds of Helston
What has actually been seen around Helston: 213 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 213 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 25,893 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- European Herring Gull
- Busiest month
- February
- Elevation
- 60 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.4 h / 8.1 h
What the records say about Helston
213 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Helston (Cornwall) since 2010, across 25,893 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are European Herring Gull, Woodpigeon and Jackdaw.
Helston is a garden-bird place: 61% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Robin and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
12 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel.
Records peak in February and are lowest in June — about 2.2 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.
Porthleven, 4 km to the south-west, has a similar number of species on record (213 against 213).
Daylight runs from 16 h 23 min at midsummer to 8 h 3 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:29 in mid-April and 5:10 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Helston
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 913 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 771 |
| 3 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 770 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 727 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 703 |
| 6 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 661 |
| 7 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 656 |
| 8 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 635 |
| 9 | MagpiePica pica | 626 |
| 10 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 620 |
| 11 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 572 |
| 12 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 564 |
| 13 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 558 |
| 14 | Great TitParus major | 552 |
| 15 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 528 |
| 16 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 521 |
| 17 | Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo | 501 |
| 18 | Eurasian CootFulica atra | 500 |
| 19 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 477 |
| 20 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 476 |
Records by month
What to put out in Helston
Seasonal bird notes for Cornwall
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 Helston?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Helston are Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Robin, Carrion Crow and Wren, based on 25,893 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Helston?
213 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Helston?
Observation records peak in February and are lowest in June. Sunrise in late June is around 5:10.
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.