Birds of Barnard Castle
What has actually been seen around Barnard Castle: 105 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 105 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 2,779 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 164 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.3 h / 7.3 h
What the records say about Barnard Castle
105 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Barnard Castle (County Durham) since 2010, across 2,779 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Common Pheasant.
Barnard Castle is a garden-bird place: 74% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Jackdaw and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
9 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Tawny Owl, 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 May and are lowest in December — about 9.4 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.
Cotherstone, 5 km to the north-west, has a similar number of species on record (107 against 105).
Daylight runs from 17 h 16 min at midsummer to 7 h 16 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:07 in mid-April and 4:30 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Barnard Castle
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 294 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 238 |
| 3 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 163 |
| 4 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 111 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 92 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 89 |
| 7 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 80 |
| 8 | SwiftApus apus | 78 |
| 9 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 71 |
| 10 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 70 |
| 11 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 69 |
| 12 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 66 |
| 13 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 63 |
| 14 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 62 |
| 15 | Great TitParus major | 62 |
| 16 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 58 |
| 17 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 49 |
| 18 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 48 |
| 19 | Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea | 46 |
| 20 | White-throated DipperCinclus cinclus | 42 |
Records by month
What to put out in Barnard Castle
Seasonal bird notes for County Durham
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 Barnard Castle?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Barnard Castle are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Blue Tit and Robin, based on 2,779 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Barnard Castle?
105 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Barnard Castle?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:30.
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.