Birds of Peterlee
What has actually been seen around Peterlee: 169 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 169 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 8,528 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 101 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.3 h / 7.2 h
What the records say about Peterlee
169 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Peterlee (County Durham) since 2010, across 8,528 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Carrion Crow.
Peterlee is a garden-bird place: 75% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow and Jackdaw make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
13 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Kestrel and Common Buzzard.
Records peak in May and are lowest in December — about 4.3 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.
Easington, 3 km to the north-west, has fewer species on record (150 against 169). Birds logged far more often around Peterlee than there include Common Scoter and Great Crested Grebe.
Daylight runs from 17 h 19 min at midsummer to 7 h 13 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:04 in mid-April and 4:27 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Peterlee
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 410 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 409 |
| 3 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 377 |
| 4 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 330 |
| 5 | MagpiePica pica | 327 |
| 6 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 312 |
| 7 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 309 |
| 8 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 279 |
| 9 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 275 |
| 10 | Great TitParus major | 248 |
| 11 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 237 |
| 12 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 222 |
| 13 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 217 |
| 14 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 184 |
| 15 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 166 |
| 16 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 147 |
| 17 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 136 |
| 18 | Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus | 127 |
| 19 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 124 |
| 20 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 119 |
Records by month
What to put out in Peterlee
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
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 Peterlee?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Peterlee are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Jackdaw and Magpie, based on 8,528 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Peterlee?
169 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Peterlee?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in December. 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.