Birds of Heathfield
What has actually been seen around Heathfield: 110 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 110 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 15,103 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- August
- Elevation
- 148 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.5 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Heathfield
110 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Heathfield (East Sussex) since 2010, across 15,103 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Robin.
Heathfield is a garden-bird place: 81% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
11 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 December — about 4.1 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.
Horam, 4 km to the south, has a similar number of species on record (111 against 110).
Daylight runs from 16 h 33 min at midsummer to 7 h 55 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 Heathfield
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 619 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 573 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 531 |
| 4 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 524 |
| 5 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 521 |
| 6 | MagpiePica pica | 481 |
| 7 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 465 |
| 8 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 451 |
| 9 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 422 |
| 10 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 405 |
| 11 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 393 |
| 12 | Great TitParus major | 393 |
| 13 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 392 |
| 14 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 382 |
| 15 | Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major | 375 |
| 16 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 366 |
| 17 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 360 |
| 18 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 327 |
| 19 | NuthatchSitta europaea | 300 |
| 20 | GreenfinchChloris chloris | 290 |
Records by month
What to put out in Heathfield
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 Heathfield?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Heathfield are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin, Blue Tit and Jackdaw, based on 15,103 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Heathfield?
110 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Heathfield?
Observation records peak in August and are lowest in December. 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.