Birds of Kirkliston
What has actually been seen around Kirkliston: 152 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 152 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 10,758 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Carrion Crow
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 37 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.6 h / 7 h
What the records say about Kirkliston
152 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Kirkliston (Edinburgh) since 2010, across 10,758 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon and Magpie.
Kirkliston is a garden-bird place: 67% 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.
11 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel.
Records peak in May and are lowest in November — about 4.3 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.
Ratho, 4 km to the south, has fewer species on record (116 against 152). Birds logged far more often around Kirkliston than there include Common Eider, Eurasian Curlew, Great Black-backed Gull and Common Tern.
Daylight runs from 17 h 37 min at midsummer to 6 h 58 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:10 in mid-April and 4:26 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Kirkliston
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 650 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 582 |
| 3 | MagpiePica pica | 487 |
| 4 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 470 |
| 5 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 434 |
| 6 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 349 |
| 7 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 339 |
| 8 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 329 |
| 9 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 273 |
| 10 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 256 |
| 11 | Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegus | 253 |
| 12 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 252 |
| 13 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 244 |
| 14 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 241 |
| 15 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 238 |
| 16 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 225 |
| 17 | Barn SwallowHirundo rustica | 208 |
| 18 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 201 |
| 19 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 198 |
| 20 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 195 |
Records by month
What to put out in Kirkliston
Seasonal bird notes for Edinburgh
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 Kirkliston?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Kirkliston are Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Jackdaw and Blackbird, based on 10,758 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Kirkliston?
152 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Kirkliston?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:26.
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.