Essex · 51.83°N

Birds of Little Clacton

What has actually been seen around Little Clacton: 141 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record: 141 within 5 km
Observation records: 4,310 since 2010
Most recorded bird: Woodpigeon
Busiest month: April
Elevation: 22 m
Daylight, June / December: 16.7 h / 7.8 h

What the records say about Little Clacton

141 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Little Clacton (Essex) since 2010, across 4,310 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, European Herring Gull and Starling.

Little Clacton is a garden-bird place: 76% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Starling, Robin and House Sparrow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

11 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 October — about 3.5 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.

Thorpe le Soken, 4 km to the north-east, has fewer species on record (134 against 141). Birds logged far more often around Little Clacton than there include Rock Pigeon.

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 Little Clacton

#	Bird	Records
1	WoodpigeonColumba palumbus	336
2	European Herring GullLarus argentatus	282
3	StarlingSturnus vulgaris	258
4	RobinErithacus rubecula	250
5	House SparrowPasser domesticus	225
6	BlackbirdTurdus merula	221
7	Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus	194
8	Rock PigeonColumba livia	168
9	Carrion CrowCorvus corone	167
10	Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto	155
11	MagpiePica pica	124
12	Great TitParus major	115
13	WrenTroglodytes troglodytes	114
14	GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis	113
15	DunnockPrunella modularis	79
16	JackdawColoeus monedula	79
17	Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus	69
18	SwiftApus apus	66
19	Common BuzzardButeo buteo	61
20	Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus	61

Records by month

What to put out in Little Clacton

Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.

Woodpigeon
Seed mix
Starling
Suet · Mealworms
Robin
Mealworms · Suet pellets · Sunflower hearts
House Sparrow
Seed mix · Sunflower hearts · Suet
Blackbird
Soaked sultanas · Apples · Mealworms
Blue Tit
Sunflower hearts · Peanuts (mesh feeder only) · Suet

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 Little Clacton?

The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Little Clacton are Woodpigeon, Starling, Robin, House Sparrow and Blackbird, based on 4,310 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Little Clacton?

141 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).

When is the best month for birds in Little Clacton?

Observation records peak in April and are lowest in October. Sunrise in late June is around 4:35.

Sources

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.