Birds of Cranborne
What has actually been seen around Cranborne: 130 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 130 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 13,071 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 56 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.5 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Cranborne
130 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Cranborne (Dorset) since 2010, across 13,071 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Lesser Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon and Blackbird.
Cranborne 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. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Wren and Chaffinch make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
16 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Red Kite and Common Kestrel.
Records peak in April and are lowest in September — about 2.7 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.
Verwood, 6 km to the south-east, has a similar number of species on record (131 against 130). Birds logged far more often around Cranborne than there include Lesser Black-backed Gull, Red Kite, Common Kestrel and Red-legged Partridge.
Daylight runs from 16 h 32 min at midsummer to 7 h 56 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:14 in mid-April and 4:52 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Cranborne
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 1,119 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 454 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 410 |
| 4 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 377 |
| 5 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 375 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 350 |
| 7 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 333 |
| 8 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 320 |
| 9 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 317 |
| 10 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 297 |
| 11 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 291 |
| 12 | Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major | 290 |
| 13 | Great TitParus major | 287 |
| 14 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 267 |
| 15 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 258 |
| 16 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 255 |
| 17 | NuthatchSitta europaea | 247 |
| 18 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 242 |
| 19 | Stock DoveColumba oenas | 236 |
| 20 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 236 |
Records by month
What to put out in Cranborne
Seasonal bird notes for Dorset
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 Cranborne?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Cranborne are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Wren, Chaffinch and Robin, based on 13,071 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Cranborne?
130 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Cranborne?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:52.
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.