Birds of Eltham
What has actually been seen around Eltham: 138 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 138 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 23,650 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 61 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Eltham
138 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Eltham (Greater London) since 2010, across 23,650 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Rose-ringed Parakeet and Magpie.
Eltham is a garden-bird place: 69% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Magpie, Carrion Crow and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
10 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Kestrel and Common Buzzard. 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 December — about 2.4 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.
Chislehurst, 4 km to the south, has fewer species on record (116 against 138). Birds logged far more often around Eltham than there include Great Crested Grebe, Common Pochard and Red-crested Pochard.
Daylight runs from 16 h 38 min at midsummer to 7 h 50 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:06 in mid-April and 4:42 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Eltham
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,366 |
| 2 | Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri | 1,330 |
| 3 | MagpiePica pica | 1,291 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 1,256 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 1,124 |
| 6 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 867 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 849 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 848 |
| 9 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 782 |
| 10 | SwiftApus apus | 721 |
| 11 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 610 |
| 12 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 606 |
| 13 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 601 |
| 14 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 512 |
| 15 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 507 |
| 16 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 477 |
| 17 | Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca | 448 |
| 18 | JayGarrulus glandarius | 435 |
| 19 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 428 |
| 20 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 423 |
Records by month
What to put out in Eltham
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Greater London
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 Eltham?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Eltham are Woodpigeon, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Robin and Rock Pigeon, based on 23,650 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Eltham?
138 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Eltham?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:42.
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.