Herefordshire · 52.06°N

Birds of Hereford

What has actually been seen around Hereford: 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: 4,167 since 2010
Most recorded bird: Woodpigeon
Busiest month: March
Elevation: 61 m
Daylight, June / December: 16.7 h / 7.7 h

What the records say about Hereford

127 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Hereford (Herefordshire) since 2010, across 4,167 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Robin.

Hereford is a garden-bird place: 74% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin and Magpie make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

9 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Red Kite. 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 March and are lowest in October — about 6.5 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.

Lugwardine, 4 km to the east, has fewer species on record (114 against 127).

Daylight runs from 16 h 45 min at midsummer to 7 h 44 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:15 in mid-April and 4:49 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near Hereford

#	Bird	Records
1	WoodpigeonColumba palumbus	240
2	BlackbirdTurdus merula	221
3	RobinErithacus rubecula	195
4	MagpiePica pica	187
5	Carrion CrowCorvus corone	173
6	Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus	167
7	House SparrowPasser domesticus	150
8	Great TitParus major	137
9	SwiftApus apus	130
10	Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus	124
11	DunnockPrunella modularis	116
12	WrenTroglodytes troglodytes	106
13	StarlingSturnus vulgaris	106
14	GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis	103
15	Common BuzzardButeo buteo	100
16	JackdawColoeus monedula	89
17	MallardAnas platyrhynchos	88
18	European Herring GullLarus argentatus	78
19	Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus	77
20	ChaffinchFringilla coelebs	71

Records by month

What to put out in Hereford

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
House Sparrow
Seed mix · Sunflower hearts · Suet
Great Tit
Sunflower hearts · Peanuts · Suet

Seasonal bird notes for Herefordshire

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 Hereford?

The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Hereford are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin, Magpie and Carrion Crow, based on 4,167 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Hereford?

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 Hereford?

Observation records peak in March and are lowest in October. Sunrise in late June is around 4:49.

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.