Birds of Hastings
What has actually been seen around Hastings: 197 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 197 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 27,640 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- European Herring Gull
- Busiest month
- August
- Elevation
- -9999 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.5 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Hastings
197 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Hastings (East Sussex) since 2010, across 27,640 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are European Herring Gull, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow.
Hastings 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, Carrion Crow, Magpie and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
14 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel 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 August and are lowest in February — about 2.6 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.
Fairlight, 6 km to the north-east, has more species on record (229 against 197). Birds logged far more often around Hastings than there include Rock Pigeon and Grey Wagtail.
Daylight runs from 16 h 31 min at midsummer to 7 h 56 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:05 in mid-April and 4:43 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Hastings
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 1,438 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,184 |
| 3 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 1,110 |
| 4 | MagpiePica pica | 1,077 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 1,054 |
| 6 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 955 |
| 7 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 894 |
| 8 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 885 |
| 9 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 876 |
| 10 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 876 |
| 11 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 814 |
| 12 | Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo | 686 |
| 13 | Great TitParus major | 686 |
| 14 | Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus | 678 |
| 15 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 641 |
| 16 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 584 |
| 17 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 558 |
| 18 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 475 |
| 19 | BlackcapSylvia atricapilla | 435 |
| 20 | Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis | 398 |
Records by month
What to put out in Hastings
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 Hastings?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Hastings are Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Robin and Wren, based on 27,640 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Hastings?
197 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Hastings?
Observation records peak in August and are lowest in February. Sunrise in late June is around 4:43.
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.