Birds of Dartmouth
What has actually been seen around Dartmouth: 160 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 160 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 9,176 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- European Herring Gull
- Busiest month
- July
- Elevation
- 6 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.4 h / 8 h
What the records say about Dartmouth
160 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Dartmouth (Devon) since 2010, across 9,176 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are European Herring Gull, Robin and Woodpigeon.
Dartmouth is a garden-bird place: 66% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Robin, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow and Blackbird make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
11 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 July and are lowest in February — about 2.5 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.
Stoke Fleming, 3 km to the south-west, has fewer species on record (145 against 160). Birds logged far more often around Dartmouth than there include Common Moorhen, Eurasian Coot and Eurasian Teal.
Daylight runs from 16 h 26 min at midsummer to 8 h 1 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:22 in mid-April and 5:02 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Dartmouth
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 420 |
| 2 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 375 |
| 3 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 336 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 321 |
| 5 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 296 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 278 |
| 7 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 254 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 242 |
| 9 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 233 |
| 10 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 231 |
| 11 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 221 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 216 |
| 13 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 213 |
| 14 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 196 |
| 15 | Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo | 195 |
| 16 | Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus | 183 |
| 17 | MagpiePica pica | 173 |
| 18 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 161 |
| 19 | European ShagPhalacrocorax aristotelis | 156 |
| 20 | Barn SwallowHirundo rustica | 142 |
Records by month
What to put out in Dartmouth
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Devon
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 Dartmouth?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Dartmouth are Robin, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Blackbird and Blue Tit, based on 9,176 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Dartmouth?
160 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Dartmouth?
Observation records peak in July and are lowest in February. Sunrise in late June is around 5:02.
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.