Birds of Cotherstone
What has actually been seen around Cotherstone: 107 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 107 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 2,746 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 185 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.3 h / 7.3 h
What the records say about Cotherstone
107 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Cotherstone (County Durham) since 2010, across 2,746 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Common Pheasant.
Cotherstone is a garden-bird place: 73% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Jackdaw and Robin 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 7.4 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.
Barnard Castle, 5 km to the south-east, has a similar number of species on record (105 against 107).
Daylight runs from 17 h 17 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 Cotherstone
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 297 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 246 |
| 3 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 170 |
| 4 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 101 |
| 5 | SwiftApus apus | 95 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 87 |
| 7 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 85 |
| 8 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 83 |
| 9 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 74 |
| 10 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 73 |
| 11 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 62 |
| 12 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 57 |
| 13 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 55 |
| 14 | Great TitParus major | 54 |
| 15 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 54 |
| 16 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 49 |
| 17 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 48 |
| 18 | Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquata | 44 |
| 19 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 43 |
| 20 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 41 |
Records by month
What to put out in Cotherstone
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 Cotherstone?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Cotherstone are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Robin and Starling, based on 2,746 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Cotherstone?
107 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Cotherstone?
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.