Birds of Eastbourne
What has actually been seen around Eastbourne: 246 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 246 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 31,717 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- European Herring Gull
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 8 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.5 h / 8 h
What the records say about Eastbourne
246 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Eastbourne (East Sussex) since 2010, across 31,717 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are European Herring Gull, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow.
Eastbourne is a garden-bird place: 62% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie and Jackdaw make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
17 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Kestrel, 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 April and are lowest in June — about 2.7 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.
Friston, 6 km to the west, has more species on record (269 against 246). Birds logged far more often around Eastbourne than there include Rock Pigeon, Eurasian Coot, Great Crested Grebe and Tufted Duck.
Daylight runs from 16 h 30 min at midsummer to 7 h 57 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:06 in mid-April and 4:44 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Eastbourne
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 1,293 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 966 |
| 3 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 965 |
| 4 | MagpiePica pica | 888 |
| 5 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 808 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 801 |
| 7 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 799 |
| 8 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 617 |
| 9 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 599 |
| 10 | Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo | 576 |
| 11 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 571 |
| 12 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 560 |
| 13 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 559 |
| 14 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 535 |
| 15 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 526 |
| 16 | Barn SwallowHirundo rustica | 502 |
| 17 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 500 |
| 18 | Great TitParus major | 495 |
| 19 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 488 |
| 20 | European StonechatSaxicola rubicola | 441 |
Records by month
What to put out in Eastbourne
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 Eastbourne?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Eastbourne are Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Jackdaw and Robin, based on 31,717 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Eastbourne?
246 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Eastbourne?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in June. Sunrise in late June is around 4:44.
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.