Birds of Saffron Walden
What has actually been seen around Saffron Walden: 106 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 106 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 4,133 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- June
- Elevation
- 59 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Saffron Walden
106 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Saffron Walden (Essex) since 2010, across 4,133 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Red Kite and Blackbird.
Saffron Walden is a garden-bird place: 67% 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 Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
9 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Red Kite, Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel. 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 June and are lowest in December — about 4.2 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.
Newport, 5 km to the south-west, has a similar number of species on record (108 against 106).
Daylight runs from 16 h 44 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 Saffron Walden
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 230 |
| 2 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 210 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 159 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 152 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 146 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 145 |
| 7 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 138 |
| 8 | SwiftApus apus | 131 |
| 9 | MagpiePica pica | 126 |
| 10 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 117 |
| 11 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 110 |
| 12 | Great TitParus major | 100 |
| 13 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 98 |
| 14 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 98 |
| 15 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 95 |
| 16 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 88 |
| 17 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 86 |
| 18 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 85 |
| 19 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 78 |
| 20 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 76 |
Records by month
What to put out in Saffron Walden
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 Saffron Walden?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Saffron Walden are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit and Robin, based on 4,133 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Saffron Walden?
106 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Saffron Walden?
Observation records peak in June and are lowest in December. 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.