Birds of Carlisle
What has actually been seen around Carlisle: 138 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 138 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 15,428 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 29 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.4 h / 7.2 h
What the records say about Carlisle
138 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Carlisle (Cumbria) since 2010, across 15,428 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Jackdaw.
Carlisle 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 Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
10 birds of prey are on record nearby, including 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 August — about 3.4 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.
Scotby, 4 km to the east, has a similar number of species on record (140 against 138).
Daylight runs from 17 h 21 min at midsummer to 7 h 12 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:10 in mid-April and 4:32 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Carlisle
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 963 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 942 |
| 3 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 751 |
| 4 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 723 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 720 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 632 |
| 7 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 553 |
| 8 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 536 |
| 9 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 476 |
| 10 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 456 |
| 11 | Great TitParus major | 452 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 446 |
| 13 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 404 |
| 14 | MagpiePica pica | 390 |
| 15 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 388 |
| 16 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 357 |
| 17 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 273 |
| 18 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 269 |
| 19 | SwiftApus apus | 262 |
| 20 | Gray HeronArdea cinerea | 246 |
Records by month
What to put out in Carlisle
Seasonal bird notes for Cumbria
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 Carlisle?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Carlisle are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Blue Tit and Carrion Crow, based on 15,428 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Carlisle?
138 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Carlisle?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in August. Sunrise in late June is around 4:32.
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.