Birds of Barkway
What has actually been seen around Barkway: 116 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 116 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 19,711 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 130 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Barkway
116 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Barkway (Hertfordshire) since 2010, across 19,711 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Blue Tit.
Barkway is a garden-bird place: 82% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Blue Tit and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
18 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 May and are lowest in October — about 3.5 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.
Great Chishill, 5 km to the north-east, has fewer species on record (109 against 116). Birds logged far more often around Barkway than there include Great Egret and Common Crane.
Daylight runs from 16 h 44 min at midsummer to 7 h 45 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:05 in mid-April and 4:39 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Barkway
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 899 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 786 |
| 3 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 778 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 758 |
| 5 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 669 |
| 6 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 653 |
| 7 | Great TitParus major | 647 |
| 8 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 626 |
| 9 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 603 |
| 10 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 564 |
| 11 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 563 |
| 12 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 562 |
| 13 | Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensis | 560 |
| 14 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 546 |
| 15 | MagpiePica pica | 545 |
| 16 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 509 |
| 17 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 507 |
| 18 | YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella | 506 |
| 19 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 496 |
| 20 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 431 |
Records by month
What to put out in Barkway
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Hertfordshire
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 Barkway?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Barkway are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Robin and Jackdaw, based on 19,711 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Barkway?
116 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Barkway?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in October. Sunrise in late June is around 4:39.
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.