Birds of Seaford
What has actually been seen around Seaford: 257 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 257 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 91,048 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- European Herring Gull
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 10 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.5 h / 8 h
What the records say about Seaford
257 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Seaford (East Sussex) since 2010, across 91,048 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are European Herring Gull, Carrion Crow and Woodpigeon.
Seaford is a garden-bird place: 61% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Magpie and Jackdaw make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
18 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 July — about 2.8 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.
Newhaven, 4 km to the north-west, has fewer species on record (216 against 257). Birds logged far more often around Seaford than there include Canada Goose, Common Shelduck, Eurasian Wigeon and Little Grebe.
Daylight runs from 16 h 30 min at midsummer to 7 h 57 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 Seaford
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 3,571 |
| 2 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 3,262 |
| 3 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 2,792 |
| 4 | MagpiePica pica | 2,589 |
| 5 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 2,506 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 2,497 |
| 7 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 2,302 |
| 8 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 2,184 |
| 9 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 2,125 |
| 10 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 2,050 |
| 11 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 2,022 |
| 12 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 1,949 |
| 13 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 1,870 |
| 14 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 1,739 |
| 15 | Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo | 1,703 |
| 16 | Little EgretEgretta garzetta | 1,678 |
| 17 | Great TitParus major | 1,621 |
| 18 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 1,515 |
| 19 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 1,510 |
| 20 | Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus | 1,460 |
Records by month
What to put out in Seaford
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 Seaford?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Seaford are Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Jackdaw and Robin, based on 91,048 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Seaford?
257 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Seaford?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in July. 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.