Birds of St Leonards
What has actually been seen around St Leonards: 142 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 142 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 18,884 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- January
- Elevation
- 18 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.5 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about St Leonards
142 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of St Leonards (Dorset) since 2010, across 18,884 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Robin.
St Leonards 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, Blackbird, Robin and Magpie make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
14 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard.
Records peak in January and are lowest in September — about 2.3 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.
Three Legged Cross, 4 km to the north-west, has fewer species on record (131 against 142).
Daylight runs from 16 h 31 min at midsummer to 7 h 57 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:14 in mid-April and 4:53 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near St Leonards
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 881 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 837 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 777 |
| 4 | MagpiePica pica | 631 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 613 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 568 |
| 7 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 530 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 472 |
| 9 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 461 |
| 10 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 448 |
| 11 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 445 |
| 12 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 426 |
| 13 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 419 |
| 14 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 399 |
| 15 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 382 |
| 16 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 378 |
| 17 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 368 |
| 18 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 336 |
| 19 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 328 |
| 20 | Eurasian CootFulica atra | 326 |
Records by month
What to put out in St Leonards
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
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 St Leonards?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of St Leonards are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin, Magpie and Carrion Crow, based on 18,884 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near St Leonards?
142 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in St Leonards?
Observation records peak in January and are lowest in September. 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.