Birds of Sturminster Marshall
What has actually been seen around Sturminster Marshall: 130 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 130 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 9,603 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 23 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.5 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Sturminster Marshall
130 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Sturminster Marshall (Dorset) since 2010, across 9,603 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Carrion Crow.
Sturminster Marshall is a garden-bird place: 82% 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 Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
15 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 May and are lowest in September — about 3.2 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.
Lytchett Matravers, 5 km to the south, has more species on record (216 against 130). Birds logged far more often around Sturminster Marshall than there include Rook, Yellowhammer, Eurasian Skylark and Green Woodpecker.
Daylight runs from 16 h 31 min at midsummer to 7 h 57 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:15 in mid-April and 4:54 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Sturminster Marshall
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 424 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 391 |
| 3 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 378 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 360 |
| 5 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 349 |
| 6 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 335 |
| 7 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 315 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 289 |
| 9 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 287 |
| 10 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 284 |
| 11 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 254 |
| 12 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 248 |
| 13 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 234 |
| 14 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 211 |
| 15 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 199 |
| 16 | YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella | 192 |
| 17 | Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensis | 192 |
| 18 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 188 |
| 19 | MagpiePica pica | 173 |
| 20 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 164 |
Records by month
What to put out in Sturminster Marshall
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 Sturminster Marshall?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Sturminster Marshall are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Robin and Chaffinch, based on 9,603 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Sturminster Marshall?
130 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Sturminster Marshall?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in September. 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.