Birds of Welling
What has actually been seen around Welling: 137 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 137 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 16,106 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Rose-ringed Parakeet
- Busiest month
- January
- Elevation
- 47 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Welling
137 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Welling (Greater London) since 2010, across 16,106 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Rose-ringed Parakeet, Woodpigeon and Magpie.
Welling is a garden-bird place: 64% 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.
11 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 January and are lowest in September — about 4.9 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.
Bexley, 4 km to the south-east, has fewer species on record (131 against 137). Birds logged far more often around Welling than there include Common Shelduck.
Daylight runs from 16 h 38 min at midsummer to 7 h 50 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:05 in mid-April and 4:41 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Welling
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri | 860 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 839 |
| 3 | MagpiePica pica | 825 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 816 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 682 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 592 |
| 7 | Great TitParus major | 559 |
| 8 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 477 |
| 9 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 403 |
| 10 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 399 |
| 11 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 387 |
| 12 | SwiftApus apus | 386 |
| 13 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 383 |
| 14 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 360 |
| 15 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 357 |
| 16 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 343 |
| 17 | Egyptian GooseAlopochen aegyptiaca | 318 |
| 18 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 316 |
| 19 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 313 |
| 20 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 312 |
Records by month
What to put out in Welling
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 Welling?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Welling are Woodpigeon, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Robin and Blue Tit, based on 16,106 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Welling?
137 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Welling?
Observation records peak in January and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:41.
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.