Birds of Bearsden
What has actually been seen around Bearsden: 129 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 129 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 18,530 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Magpie
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 49 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.6 h / 7 h
What the records say about Bearsden
129 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Bearsden (East Dunbartonshire) since 2010, across 18,530 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Magpie, Woodpigeon and Robin.
Bearsden is a garden-bird place: 71% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Magpie, Woodpigeon, Robin 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 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 May and are lowest in September — about 3.4 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.
Faifley, 4 km to the north-west, has a similar number of species on record (128 against 129). Birds logged far more often around Bearsden than there include Rose-ringed Parakeet, Ring-necked Duck and Stock Dove.
Daylight runs from 17 h 36 min at midsummer to 6 h 58 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:14 in mid-April and 4:30 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Bearsden
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MagpiePica pica | 1,111 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,086 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 871 |
| 4 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 820 |
| 5 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 807 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 753 |
| 7 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 730 |
| 8 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 640 |
| 9 | Great TitParus major | 629 |
| 10 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 530 |
| 11 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 506 |
| 12 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 483 |
| 13 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 463 |
| 14 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 459 |
| 15 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 456 |
| 16 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 381 |
| 17 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 371 |
| 18 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 364 |
| 19 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 339 |
| 20 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 314 |
Records by month
What to put out in Bearsden
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for East Dunbartonshire
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 Bearsden?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Bearsden are Magpie, Woodpigeon, Robin, Blue Tit and Blackbird, based on 18,530 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Bearsden?
129 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Bearsden?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:30.
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.