Birds of Sixpenny Handley
What has actually been seen around Sixpenny Handley: 125 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 125 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 11,861 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 84 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.5 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Sixpenny Handley
125 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Sixpenny Handley (Dorset) since 2010, across 11,861 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Lesser Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon and Blackbird.
Sixpenny Handley is a garden-bird place: 76% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow and Eurasian Skylark make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
15 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Red Kite and Common Kestrel. 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 August — about 2.6 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.
Cranborne, 7 km to the south-east, has more species on record (130 against 125). Birds logged far more often around Sixpenny Handley than there include European Stonechat, Gray Partridge and Short-eared Owl.
Daylight runs from 16 h 32 min at midsummer to 7 h 55 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:15 in mid-April and 4:53 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Sixpenny Handley
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 762 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 492 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 414 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 412 |
| 5 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 382 |
| 6 | Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensis | 344 |
| 7 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 340 |
| 8 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 296 |
| 9 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 296 |
| 10 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 293 |
| 11 | YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella | 286 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 270 |
| 13 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 264 |
| 14 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 263 |
| 15 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 254 |
| 16 | Great TitParus major | 248 |
| 17 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 246 |
| 18 | Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus | 238 |
| 19 | MagpiePica pica | 216 |
| 20 | Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra | 211 |
Records by month
What to put out in Sixpenny Handley
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 Sixpenny Handley?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Sixpenny Handley are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Eurasian Skylark and Robin, based on 11,861 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Sixpenny Handley?
125 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Sixpenny Handley?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in August. Sunrise in late June is around 4:53.
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.