Perch Supply
Essex · 51.55°N

Birds of Great Wakering

What has actually been seen around Great Wakering: 188 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record
188 within 5 km
Observation records
15,068 since 2010
Most recorded bird
European Herring Gull
Busiest month
May
Elevation
8 m
Daylight, June / December
16.7 h / 7.8 h

What the records say about Great Wakering

188 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Great Wakering (Essex) since 2010, across 15,068 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are European Herring Gull, Woodpigeon and Black-headed Gull.

Water shapes this list. 45% of records near Great Wakering are ducks, geese, gulls, waders, herons and other waterbirds — European Herring Gull, Black-headed Gull and Mallard lead them — which points to coast, estuary, river or open water within range. Woodpigeon is still the most logged garden bird.

14 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Kestrel, Common Buzzard and Eurasian Marsh-Harrier. 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 June — about 2.1 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.

Southend-on-Sea, 6 km to the west, has fewer species on record (177 against 188). Birds logged far more often around Great Wakering than there include Red-legged Partridge, Common Buzzard, Common Pheasant and Eurasian Marsh-Harrier.

Daylight runs from 16 h 39 min at midsummer to 7 h 49 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:02 in mid-April and 4:38 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near Great Wakering

#BirdRecords
1European Herring GullLarus argentatus927
2WoodpigeonColumba palumbus548
3Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus548
4Carrion CrowCorvus corone496
5StarlingSturnus vulgaris459
6House SparrowPasser domesticus418
7MagpiePica pica412
8RobinErithacus rubecula386
9MallardAnas platyrhynchos343
10BlackbirdTurdus merula335
11GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis330
12Common RedshankTringa totanus328
13Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegus307
14Little EgretEgretta garzetta302
15Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus295
16Great TitParus major275
17Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus255
18Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto254
19Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpres246
20Mute SwanCygnus olor234

Records by month

What to put out in Great Wakering

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 Wakering?

The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Great Wakering are Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Starling, House Sparrow and Magpie, based on 15,068 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Great Wakering?

188 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 Wakering?

Observation records peak in May and are lowest in June. Sunrise in late June is around 4:38.

Sources

  1. GBIF occurrence search (birds, class Aves, 2010 onward)
  2. 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.