Birds of Chester-le-Street
What has actually been seen around Chester-le-Street: 176 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 176 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 55,796 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- January
- Elevation
- 13 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.3 h / 7.2 h
What the records say about Chester-le-Street
176 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Chester-le-Street (County Durham) since 2010, across 55,796 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Jackdaw.
Chester-le-Street is a garden-bird place: 76% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Jackdaw and Magpie make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
17 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel 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 January and are lowest in July — about 2.1 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.
Sacriston, 6 km to the south-west, has fewer species on record (160 against 176). Birds logged far more often around Chester-le-Street than there include Mute Swan, White-throated Dipper, Tufted Duck and Common Merganser.
Daylight runs from 17 h 21 min at midsummer to 7 h 12 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:05 in mid-April and 4:27 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Chester-le-Street
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 3,253 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 2,779 |
| 3 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 2,347 |
| 4 | MagpiePica pica | 2,300 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 2,202 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 1,938 |
| 7 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 1,860 |
| 8 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 1,773 |
| 9 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 1,766 |
| 10 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 1,691 |
| 11 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 1,621 |
| 12 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 1,541 |
| 13 | Great TitParus major | 1,392 |
| 14 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 1,266 |
| 15 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 1,220 |
| 16 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 1,166 |
| 17 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 1,043 |
| 18 | GreenfinchChloris chloris | 937 |
| 19 | BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula | 827 |
| 20 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 736 |
Records by month
What to put out in Chester-le-Street
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 Chester-le-Street?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Chester-le-Street are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Magpie and Carrion Crow, based on 55,796 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Chester-le-Street?
176 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Chester-le-Street?
Observation records peak in January and are lowest in July. Sunrise in late June is around 4:27.
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.