Birds of Great Bentley
What has actually been seen around Great Bentley: 134 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 134 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 2,650 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 26 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Great Bentley
134 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Great Bentley (Essex) since 2010, across 2,650 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Common Pheasant and Blackbird.
Great Bentley is a garden-bird place: 62% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow and Robin 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 Red Kite. 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 December — about 9.1 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.
Alresford, 4 km to the west, has more species on record (205 against 134).
Daylight runs from 16 h 42 min at midsummer to 7 h 46 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:01 in mid-April and 4:35 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Great Bentley
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 121 |
| 2 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 105 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 92 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 84 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 80 |
| 6 | MagpiePica pica | 76 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 69 |
| 8 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 66 |
| 9 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 66 |
| 10 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 64 |
| 11 | Great TitParus major | 60 |
| 12 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 57 |
| 13 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 56 |
| 14 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 54 |
| 15 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 49 |
| 16 | Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis | 48 |
| 17 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 48 |
| 18 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 48 |
| 19 | Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus | 47 |
| 20 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 47 |
Records by month
What to put out in Great Bentley
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 Great Bentley?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Great Bentley are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Robin and Magpie, based on 2,650 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Great Bentley?
134 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Great Bentley?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:35.
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.