Birds of Whitehaven
What has actually been seen around Whitehaven: 118 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 118 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 1,788 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- European Herring Gull
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 19 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.3 h / 7.3 h
What the records say about Whitehaven
118 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Whitehaven (Cumbria) since 2010, across 1,788 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are European Herring Gull, Jackdaw and Blackbird.
Whitehaven is a garden-bird place: 60% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Jackdaw, Blackbird, Robin and Woodpigeon make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
7 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Kestrel, 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 October — 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.
Cleator Moor, 5 km to the south-east, has more species on record (132 against 118). Birds logged far more often around Whitehaven than there include Great Cormorant, Eurasian Oystercatcher, Great Black-backed Gull and Common Linnet.
Daylight runs from 17 h 16 min at midsummer to 7 h 16 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:14 in mid-April and 4:37 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Whitehaven
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 116 |
| 2 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 91 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 63 |
| 4 | Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo | 61 |
| 5 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 58 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 56 |
| 7 | SwiftApus apus | 56 |
| 8 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 54 |
| 9 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 50 |
| 10 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 50 |
| 11 | Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegus | 46 |
| 12 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 41 |
| 13 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 39 |
| 14 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 38 |
| 15 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 32 |
| 16 | Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus | 31 |
| 17 | European StonechatSaxicola rubicola | 31 |
| 18 | Common LinnetLinaria cannabina | 31 |
| 19 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 29 |
| 20 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 28 |
Records by month
What to put out in Whitehaven
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
- Jackdaw
Suet · Kitchen scraps
- Blackbird
Soaked sultanas · Apples · Mealworms
- Robin
Mealworms · Suet pellets · Sunflower hearts
- Woodpigeon
Seed mix
- House Sparrow
Seed mix · Sunflower hearts · Suet
- Starling
Suet · Mealworms
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 Whitehaven?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Whitehaven are Jackdaw, Blackbird, Robin, Woodpigeon and Rock Pigeon, based on 1,788 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Whitehaven?
118 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Whitehaven?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in October. Sunrise in late June is around 4:37.
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.