Birds of Ditchling
What has actually been seen around Ditchling: 119 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 119 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 5,185 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 63 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.5 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Ditchling
119 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Ditchling (East Sussex) since 2010, across 5,185 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow and Blackbird.
Ditchling is a garden-bird place: 79% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Blackbird and Magpie make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
16 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 April and are lowest in August — about 6.7 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.
Plumpton Green, 4 km to the east, has a similar number of species on record (118 against 119). Birds logged far more often around Ditchling than there include Swift.
Daylight runs from 16 h 32 min at midsummer to 7 h 56 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:07 in mid-April and 4:45 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Ditchling
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 245 |
| 2 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 209 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 203 |
| 4 | MagpiePica pica | 200 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 198 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 171 |
| 7 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 165 |
| 8 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 153 |
| 9 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 148 |
| 10 | SwiftApus apus | 141 |
| 11 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 129 |
| 12 | Great TitParus major | 121 |
| 13 | Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensis | 118 |
| 14 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 116 |
| 15 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 113 |
| 16 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 107 |
| 17 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 106 |
| 18 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 103 |
| 19 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 100 |
| 20 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 98 |
Records by month
What to put out in Ditchling
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for East Sussex
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 Ditchling?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Ditchling are Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Blackbird, Magpie and Robin, based on 5,185 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Ditchling?
119 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Ditchling?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in August. Sunrise in late June is around 4:45.
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.