Birds of Manston
What has actually been seen around Manston: 98 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 98 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 1,720 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- June
- Elevation
- 51 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.5 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Manston
98 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Manston (Dorset) since 2010, across 1,720 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Lesser Black-backed Gull and Blackbird.
Manston is a garden-bird place: 74% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Blue Tit and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
8 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 June and are lowest in January — about 9.5 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.
Sturminster Newton, 4 km to the south-west, has a similar number of species on record (96 against 98).
Daylight runs from 16 h 32 min at midsummer to 7 h 55 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:16 in mid-April and 4:54 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Manston
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 89 |
| 2 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 82 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 78 |
| 4 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 76 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 75 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 66 |
| 7 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 63 |
| 8 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 51 |
| 9 | Great TitParus major | 50 |
| 10 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 48 |
| 11 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 43 |
| 12 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 43 |
| 13 | SwiftApus apus | 42 |
| 14 | MagpiePica pica | 41 |
| 15 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 38 |
| 16 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 38 |
| 17 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 35 |
| 18 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 34 |
| 19 | Gray HeronArdea cinerea | 29 |
| 20 | Barn SwallowHirundo rustica | 28 |
Records by month
What to put out in Manston
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 Manston?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Manston are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Robin and Carrion Crow, based on 1,720 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Manston?
98 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Manston?
Observation records peak in June and are lowest in January. Sunrise in late June is around 4:54.
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.