Birds of Ratho
What has actually been seen around Ratho: 116 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 116 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 8,322 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Carrion Crow
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 89 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.6 h / 7 h
What the records say about Ratho
116 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Ratho (Edinburgh) since 2010, across 8,322 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon and Magpie.
Ratho is a garden-bird place: 72% 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.
12 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 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.
Kirkliston, 4 km to the north, has more species on record (152 against 116). Birds logged far more often around Ratho than there include White-throated Dipper.
Daylight runs from 17 h 36 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 Ratho
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 506 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 480 |
| 3 | MagpiePica pica | 447 |
| 4 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 340 |
| 5 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 308 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 287 |
| 7 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 280 |
| 8 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 258 |
| 9 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 225 |
| 10 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 219 |
| 11 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 219 |
| 12 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 213 |
| 13 | Pied WagtailMotacilla alba | 191 |
| 14 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 179 |
| 15 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 176 |
| 16 | Barn SwallowHirundo rustica | 172 |
| 17 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 169 |
| 18 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 169 |
| 19 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 160 |
| 20 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 158 |
Records by month
What to put out in Ratho
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 Ratho?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Ratho are Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Magpie, Jackdaw and Robin, based on 8,322 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Ratho?
116 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Ratho?
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.