Birds of Shirley
What has actually been seen around Shirley: 127 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 127 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 37,235 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 67 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Shirley
127 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Shirley (Greater London) since 2010, across 37,235 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Magpie and Robin.
Shirley 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, Magpie, Robin and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
9 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Kestrel, Common Buzzard 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 November — about 2.8 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.
Croydon, 4 km to the west, has more species on record (231 against 127). Birds logged far more often around Shirley than there include Mandarin Duck and Bullfinch.
Daylight runs from 16 h 37 min at midsummer to 7 h 51 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 Shirley
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,931 |
| 2 | MagpiePica pica | 1,834 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 1,731 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 1,679 |
| 5 | Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri | 1,639 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 1,387 |
| 7 | Great TitParus major | 1,358 |
| 8 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 1,167 |
| 9 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 1,126 |
| 10 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 994 |
| 11 | SwiftApus apus | 972 |
| 12 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 962 |
| 13 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 908 |
| 14 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 856 |
| 15 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 834 |
| 16 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 821 |
| 17 | Eurasian CootFulica atra | 815 |
| 18 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 757 |
| 19 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 750 |
| 20 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 730 |
Records by month
What to put out in Shirley
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 Shirley?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Shirley are Woodpigeon, Magpie, Robin, Carrion Crow and Blue Tit, based on 37,235 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Shirley?
127 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Shirley?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in November. 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.