Birds of Kendal
What has actually been seen around Kendal: 144 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 144 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 12,794 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Blackbird
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 55 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.2 h / 7.3 h
What the records say about Kendal
144 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Kendal (Cumbria) since 2010, across 12,794 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Blackbird, Swift and Woodpigeon.
Kendal is a garden-bird place: 70% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Robin and Jackdaw make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
11 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 May and are lowest in December — about 4.8 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.
Burneside, 3 km to the north, has fewer species on record (133 against 144).
Daylight runs from 17 h 13 min at midsummer to 7 h 19 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:11 in mid-April and 4:35 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Kendal
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 530 |
| 2 | SwiftApus apus | 461 |
| 3 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 449 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 440 |
| 5 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 440 |
| 6 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 429 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 393 |
| 8 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 352 |
| 9 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 316 |
| 10 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 309 |
| 11 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 307 |
| 12 | Common MerganserMergus merganser | 278 |
| 13 | Great TitParus major | 262 |
| 14 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 253 |
| 15 | MagpiePica pica | 248 |
| 16 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 237 |
| 17 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 234 |
| 18 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 233 |
| 19 | Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea | 222 |
| 20 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 219 |
Records by month
What to put out in Kendal
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 Kendal?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Kendal are Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Robin, Jackdaw and Blue Tit, based on 12,794 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Kendal?
144 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Kendal?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:35.
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.