Birds of Princetown
What has actually been seen around Princetown: 106 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 106 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 3,522 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Meadow Pipit
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 419 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.5 h / 8 h
What the records say about Princetown
106 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Princetown (Devon) since 2010, across 3,522 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Meadow Pipit, Carrion Crow and Chaffinch.
Princetown is a garden-bird place: 88% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Meadow Pipit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch and Robin 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 May and are lowest in December — about 11.9 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.
Horrabridge, 9 km to the south-west, has a similar number of species on record (106 against 106). Birds logged far more often around Princetown than there include Northern Wheatear, Common Redstart and Common Reed Bunting.
At about 419 m above sea level, Princetown sits higher than most places in Devon. Spring arrives a little later with height, and feeders matter more in cold snaps — keep a supply of high-fat food going through late winter.
Daylight runs from 16 h 28 min at midsummer to 7 h 59 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:23 in mid-April and 5:03 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Princetown
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis | 188 |
| 2 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 185 |
| 3 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 165 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 135 |
| 5 | Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensis | 130 |
| 6 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 118 |
| 7 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 114 |
| 8 | European StonechatSaxicola rubicola | 113 |
| 9 | Barn SwallowHirundo rustica | 111 |
| 10 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 110 |
| 11 | Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe | 102 |
| 12 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 95 |
| 13 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 86 |
| 14 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 83 |
| 15 | Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus | 82 |
| 16 | House MartinDelichon urbicum | 76 |
| 17 | Common RavenCorvus corax | 67 |
| 18 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 66 |
| 19 | Pied WagtailMotacilla alba | 65 |
| 20 | MagpiePica pica | 61 |
Records by month
What to put out in Princetown
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 Princetown?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Princetown are Meadow Pipit, Carrion Crow, Chaffinch, Robin and Eurasian Skylark, based on 3,522 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Princetown?
106 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Princetown?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 5:03.
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.