Derbyshire · 53.25°N

Birds of Chesterfield

What has actually been seen around Chesterfield: 139 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record: 139 within 5 km
Observation records: 17,032 since 2010
Most recorded bird: Woodpigeon
Busiest month: January
Elevation: 89 m
Daylight, June / December: 17 h / 7.5 h

What the records say about Chesterfield

139 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Chesterfield (Derbyshire) since 2010, across 17,032 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Magpie.

Chesterfield 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. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Magpie and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

9 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel 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 January and are lowest in October — about 3.6 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.

Staveley, 5 km to the north-east, has more species on record (160 against 139).

Daylight runs from 16 h 59 min at midsummer to 7 h 31 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:08 in mid-April and 4:37 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near Chesterfield

#	Bird	Records
1	WoodpigeonColumba palumbus	957
2	BlackbirdTurdus merula	879
3	MagpiePica pica	752
4	Carrion CrowCorvus corone	707
5	RobinErithacus rubecula	665
6	House SparrowPasser domesticus	601
7	Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus	578
8	MallardAnas platyrhynchos	558
9	GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis	525
10	Great TitParus major	502
11	Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus	455
12	DunnockPrunella modularis	445
13	Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus	429
14	Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus	365
15	WrenTroglodytes troglodytes	343
16	Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus	339
17	Canada GooseBranta canadensis	332
18	Eurasian CootFulica atra	319
19	StarlingSturnus vulgaris	315
20	ChaffinchFringilla coelebs	282

Records by month

What to put out in Chesterfield

Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.

Woodpigeon
Seed mix
Blackbird
Soaked sultanas · Apples · Mealworms
Robin
Mealworms · Suet pellets · Sunflower hearts
House Sparrow
Seed mix · Sunflower hearts · Suet
Blue Tit
Sunflower hearts · Peanuts (mesh feeder only) · Suet
Goldfinch
Nyjer seed · Sunflower hearts

Seasonal bird notes for Derbyshire

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 Chesterfield?

The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Chesterfield are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Magpie, Carrion Crow and Robin, based on 17,032 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Chesterfield?

139 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).

When is the best month for birds in Chesterfield?

Observation records peak in January and are lowest in October. Sunrise in late June is around 4:37.

Sources

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.