Birds of Bishop Auckland
What has actually been seen around Bishop Auckland: 118 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 118 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 14,145 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 110 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.3 h / 7.2 h
What the records say about Bishop Auckland
118 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Bishop Auckland (County Durham) since 2010, across 14,145 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Magpie.
Bishop Auckland is a garden-bird place: 82% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Magpie and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
8 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk 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 October — about 3.6 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.
Coundon, 3 km to the east, has fewer species on record (99 against 118). Birds logged far more often around Bishop Auckland than there include Rook, Tufted Duck, Mute Swan and Little Owl.
Daylight runs from 17 h 18 min at midsummer to 7 h 14 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:06 in mid-April and 4:29 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Bishop Auckland
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,159 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 1,158 |
| 3 | MagpiePica pica | 890 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 826 |
| 5 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 674 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 651 |
| 7 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 583 |
| 8 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 530 |
| 9 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 489 |
| 10 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 465 |
| 11 | Great TitParus major | 459 |
| 12 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 377 |
| 13 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 356 |
| 14 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 307 |
| 15 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 291 |
| 16 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 279 |
| 17 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 279 |
| 18 | Barn SwallowHirundo rustica | 262 |
| 19 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 227 |
| 20 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 177 |
Records by month
What to put out in Bishop Auckland
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 Bishop Auckland?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Bishop Auckland are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Magpie, Carrion Crow and Jackdaw, based on 14,145 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Bishop Auckland?
118 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Bishop Auckland?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in October. Sunrise in late June is around 4:29.
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.