Hampshire · 51.15°N

Birds of Alton

What has actually been seen around Alton: 90 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record: 90 within 5 km
Observation records: 3,220 since 2010
Most recorded bird: Woodpigeon
Busiest month: January
Elevation: 104 m
Daylight, June / December: 16.6 h / 7.9 h

What the records say about Alton

90 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Alton (Hampshire) since 2010, across 3,220 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Robin.

Alton 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, Blackbird, Robin 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 January and are lowest in November — about 24.8 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.

Bentworth, 5 km to the west, has a similar number of species on record (86 against 90). Birds logged far more often around Alton than there include Swift, Canada Goose, Mute Swan and Tufted Duck.

Daylight runs from 16 h 35 min at midsummer to 7 h 53 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:10 in mid-April and 4:47 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near Alton

#	Bird	Records
1	WoodpigeonColumba palumbus	223
2	BlackbirdTurdus merula	167
3	RobinErithacus rubecula	163
4	SwiftApus apus	161
5	Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus	117
6	MagpiePica pica	116
7	Red KiteMilvus milvus	112
8	MallardAnas platyrhynchos	109
9	Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus	95
10	WrenTroglodytes troglodytes	95
11	House SparrowPasser domesticus	92
12	Carrion CrowCorvus corone	86
13	JackdawColoeus monedula	80
14	Great TitParus major	76
15	GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis	73
16	Canada GooseBranta canadensis	73
17	Eurasian CootFulica atra	70
18	DunnockPrunella modularis	63
19	Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto	58
20	Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus	55

Records by month

What to put out in Alton

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

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

Seasonal bird notes for Hampshire

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 Alton?

The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Alton are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin, Blue Tit and Magpie, based on 3,220 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Alton?

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

When is the best month for birds in Alton?

Observation records peak in January and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:47.

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.