Birds of Derry
What has actually been seen around Derry: 97 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 97 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 1,625 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Magpie
- Busiest month
- June
- Elevation
- 24 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.4 h / 7.2 h
What the records say about Derry
97 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Derry (Derry City and Strabane) since 2010, across 1,625 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Magpie, Woodpigeon and Jackdaw.
Derry is a garden-bird place: 75% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Magpie, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw and Rock Pigeon make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
5 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Peregrine Falcon. 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 June and are lowest in October — about 8.8 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.
New Buildings, 5 km to the south-west, has fewer species on record (76 against 97).
Daylight runs from 17 h 23 min at midsummer to 7 h 10 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:28 in mid-April and 4:49 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Derry
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MagpiePica pica | 138 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 120 |
| 3 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 104 |
| 4 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 101 |
| 5 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 80 |
| 6 | Hooded CrowCorvus cornix | 77 |
| 7 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 76 |
| 8 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 75 |
| 9 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 62 |
| 10 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 60 |
| 11 | SwiftApus apus | 42 |
| 12 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 41 |
| 13 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 40 |
| 14 | Gray HeronArdea cinerea | 39 |
| 15 | Pied WagtailMotacilla alba | 37 |
| 16 | Great TitParus major | 32 |
| 17 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 31 |
| 18 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 30 |
| 19 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 27 |
| 20 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 25 |
Records by month
What to put out in Derry
Seasonal bird notes for Derry City and Strabane
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 Derry?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Derry are Magpie, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Rock Pigeon and Hooded Crow, based on 1,625 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Derry?
97 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Derry?
Observation records peak in June and are lowest in October. Sunrise in late June is around 4:49.
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.