Birds of Great Chesterford
What has actually been seen around Great Chesterford: 122 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 122 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 5,089 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- December
- Elevation
- 43 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Great Chesterford
122 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Great Chesterford (Essex) since 2010, across 5,089 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Lesser Black-backed Gull and Red Kite.
Great Chesterford is a garden-bird place: 68% 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 Red Kite, Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel.
Records peak in December and are lowest in September — about 6.0 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.
Duxford, 4 km to the north-west, has more species on record (166 against 122). Birds logged far more often around Great Chesterford than there include Canada Goose, Barnacle Goose, Common Kingfisher and Tufted Duck.
Daylight runs from 16 h 45 min at midsummer to 7 h 44 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:04 in mid-April and 4:38 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Great Chesterford
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 208 |
| 2 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 175 |
| 3 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 175 |
| 4 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 173 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 167 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 154 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 147 |
| 8 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 147 |
| 9 | MagpiePica pica | 141 |
| 10 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 130 |
| 11 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 122 |
| 12 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 117 |
| 13 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 116 |
| 14 | Great TitParus major | 112 |
| 15 | SwiftApus apus | 111 |
| 16 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 110 |
| 17 | Pied WagtailMotacilla alba | 106 |
| 18 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 103 |
| 19 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 98 |
| 20 | Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus | 94 |
Records by month
What to put out in Great Chesterford
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 Great Chesterford?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Great Chesterford are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Robin and Blue Tit, based on 5,089 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Great Chesterford?
122 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 Chesterford?
Observation records peak in December and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:38.
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.