Birds of Colchester
What has actually been seen around Colchester: 193 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 193 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 27,715 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 29 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Colchester
193 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Colchester (Essex) since 2010, across 27,715 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Magpie and Blue Tit.
Colchester is a garden-bird place: 65% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Magpie, Blue Tit and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
16 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 April and are lowest in November — about 3.1 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.
West Bergholt, 5 km to the north-west, has fewer species on record (166 against 193). Birds logged far more often around Colchester than there include Great Crested Grebe.
Daylight runs from 16 h 43 min at midsummer to 7 h 46 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:01 in mid-April and 4:36 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Colchester
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,200 |
| 2 | MagpiePica pica | 1,051 |
| 3 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 1,000 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 983 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 933 |
| 6 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 848 |
| 7 | Great TitParus major | 720 |
| 8 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 666 |
| 9 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 661 |
| 10 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 646 |
| 11 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 590 |
| 12 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 583 |
| 13 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 542 |
| 14 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 533 |
| 15 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 490 |
| 16 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 478 |
| 17 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 470 |
| 18 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 468 |
| 19 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 464 |
| 20 | Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis | 451 |
Records by month
What to put out in Colchester
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
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 Colchester?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Colchester are Woodpigeon, Magpie, Blue Tit, Robin and Carrion Crow, based on 27,715 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Colchester?
193 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Colchester?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:36.
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.