Birds of Dorchester
What has actually been seen around Dorchester: 165 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 165 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 21,654 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- January
- Elevation
- 55 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.5 h / 8 h
What the records say about Dorchester
165 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Dorchester (Dorset) since 2010, across 21,654 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow and European Herring Gull.
Dorchester is a garden-bird place: 73% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Blackbird and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
12 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel.
Records peak in January and are lowest in August — about 5.3 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.
Puddletown, 7 km to the north-east, has fewer species on record (150 against 165). Birds logged far more often around Dorchester than there include Corn Bunting.
Daylight runs from 16 h 30 min at midsummer to 7 h 58 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:17 in mid-April and 4:56 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Dorchester
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 870 |
| 2 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 761 |
| 3 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 750 |
| 4 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 749 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 747 |
| 6 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 713 |
| 7 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 703 |
| 8 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 693 |
| 9 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 630 |
| 10 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 594 |
| 11 | Great TitParus major | 563 |
| 12 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 542 |
| 13 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 514 |
| 14 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 513 |
| 15 | MagpiePica pica | 498 |
| 16 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 496 |
| 17 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 475 |
| 18 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 471 |
| 19 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 391 |
| 20 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 383 |
Records by month
What to put out in Dorchester
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 Dorchester?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Dorchester are Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Blackbird, Robin and Jackdaw, based on 21,654 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Dorchester?
165 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Dorchester?
Observation records peak in January and are lowest in August. Sunrise in late June is around 4:56.
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.