Birds of Kirkby Thore
What has actually been seen around Kirkby Thore: 96 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 96 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 1,536 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Swift
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 118 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.3 h / 7.2 h
What the records say about Kirkby Thore
96 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Kirkby Thore (Cumbria) since 2010, across 1,536 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Swift, Blackbird and Blue Tit.
Kirkby Thore is a garden-bird place: 82% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Blackbird, Blue Tit, Robin and Jackdaw make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
9 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Tawny Owl 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 November — about 16.4 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.
Appleby-in-Westmorland, 7 km to the south-east, has a similar number of species on record (92 against 96).
Daylight runs from 17 h 17 min at midsummer to 7 h 15 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 Kirkby Thore
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SwiftApus apus | 89 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 88 |
| 3 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 85 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 78 |
| 5 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 69 |
| 6 | Great TitParus major | 66 |
| 7 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 61 |
| 8 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 60 |
| 9 | Barn SwallowHirundo rustica | 57 |
| 10 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 52 |
| 11 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 51 |
| 12 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 50 |
| 13 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 39 |
| 14 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 38 |
| 15 | GreenfinchChloris chloris | 36 |
| 16 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 34 |
| 17 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 33 |
| 18 | House MartinDelichon urbicum | 29 |
| 19 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 27 |
| 20 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 24 |
Records by month
What to put out in Kirkby Thore
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
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 Kirkby Thore?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Kirkby Thore are Blackbird, Blue Tit, Robin, Jackdaw and Great Tit, based on 1,536 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Kirkby Thore?
96 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Kirkby Thore?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in November. 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.