Dorset · 51.01°N

Birds of East Stour

What has actually been seen around East Stour: 103 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record: 103 within 5 km
Observation records: 2,727 since 2010
Most recorded bird: Woodpigeon
Busiest month: October
Elevation: 98 m
Daylight, June / December: 16.6 h / 7.9 h

What the records say about East Stour

103 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of East Stour (Dorset) since 2010, across 2,727 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Lesser Black-backed Gull and Jackdaw.

East Stour is a garden-bird place: 80% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Blackbird and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

9 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel and Red Kite. 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 October and are lowest in March — about 18.1 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.

Gillingham, 4 km to the north, has fewer species on record (95 against 103).

Daylight runs from 16 h 33 min at midsummer to 7 h 55 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:16 in mid-April and 4:53 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near East Stour

#	Bird	Records
1	WoodpigeonColumba palumbus	192
2	Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus	187
3	JackdawColoeus monedula	148
4	BlackbirdTurdus merula	140
5	Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus	129
6	House SparrowPasser domesticus	117
7	RobinErithacus rubecula	108
8	Carrion CrowCorvus corone	107
9	GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis	100
10	MagpiePica pica	93
11	StarlingSturnus vulgaris	79
12	RookCorvus frugilegus	71
13	WrenTroglodytes troglodytes	69
14	Great TitParus major	64
15	Common BuzzardButeo buteo	59
16	House MartinDelichon urbicum	55
17	Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus	55
18	Isabelline ShrikeLanius isabellinus	44
19	SwiftApus apus	44
20	DunnockPrunella modularis	44

Records by month

What to put out in East Stour

Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.

Woodpigeon
Seed mix
Jackdaw
Suet · Kitchen scraps
Blackbird
Soaked sultanas · Apples · Mealworms
Blue Tit
Sunflower hearts · Peanuts (mesh feeder only) · Suet
House Sparrow
Seed mix · Sunflower hearts · Suet
Robin
Mealworms · Suet pellets · Sunflower hearts

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 East Stour?

The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of East Stour are Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Blue Tit and House Sparrow, based on 2,727 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near East Stour?

103 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).

When is the best month for birds in East Stour?

Observation records peak in October and are lowest in March. Sunrise in late June is around 4:53.

Sources

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.