Birds of Chipping Ongar
What has actually been seen around Chipping Ongar: 92 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 92 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 1,088 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Swift
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 55 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Chipping Ongar
92 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Chipping Ongar (Essex) since 2010, across 1,088 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Swift, Woodpigeon and Jackdaw.
Chipping Ongar 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, Jackdaw, Robin and Blackbird make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
9 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Red Kite and Common Kestrel. 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 January — about 56.2 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.
Kelvedon Hatch, 4 km to the south, has more species on record (114 against 92). Birds logged far more often around Chipping Ongar than there include Rook.
Daylight runs from 16 h 41 min at midsummer to 7 h 48 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:04 in mid-April and 4:39 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Chipping Ongar
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SwiftApus apus | 51 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 43 |
| 3 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 43 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 41 |
| 5 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 38 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 38 |
| 7 | MagpiePica pica | 37 |
| 8 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 30 |
| 9 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 28 |
| 10 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 28 |
| 11 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 27 |
| 12 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 27 |
| 13 | Common WhitethroatSylvia communis | 24 |
| 14 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 24 |
| 15 | Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major | 23 |
| 16 | Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis | 23 |
| 17 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 23 |
| 18 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 23 |
| 19 | Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensis | 23 |
| 20 | Great TitParus major | 22 |
Records by month
What to put out in Chipping Ongar
Seasonal bird notes for Essex
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 Chipping Ongar?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Chipping Ongar are Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Robin, Blackbird and Carrion Crow, based on 1,088 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Chipping Ongar?
92 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Chipping Ongar?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in January. Sunrise in late June is around 4:39.
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.