Birds of Berkhamsted
What has actually been seen around Berkhamsted: 133 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 133 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 5,579 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- February
- Elevation
- 113 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Berkhamsted
133 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Berkhamsted (Hertfordshire) since 2010, across 5,579 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Robin and Red Kite.
Berkhamsted is a garden-bird place: 73% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Robin, Carrion Crow and Magpie make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
8 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Red Kite, Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel.
Records peak in February and are lowest in September — about 4.7 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.
Bovingdon, 5 km to the south-east, has a similar number of species on record (135 against 133).
Daylight runs from 16 h 41 min at midsummer to 7 h 47 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:07 in mid-April and 4:42 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Berkhamsted
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 304 |
| 2 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 297 |
| 3 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 275 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 249 |
| 5 | MagpiePica pica | 237 |
| 6 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 235 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 224 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 173 |
| 9 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 152 |
| 10 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 139 |
| 11 | SwiftApus apus | 136 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 122 |
| 13 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 113 |
| 14 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 111 |
| 15 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 111 |
| 16 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 111 |
| 17 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 110 |
| 18 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 102 |
| 19 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 98 |
| 20 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 97 |
Records by month
What to put out in Berkhamsted
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 Berkhamsted?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Berkhamsted are Woodpigeon, Robin, Carrion Crow, Magpie and Blackbird, based on 5,579 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Berkhamsted?
133 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Berkhamsted?
Observation records peak in February and are lowest in September. 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.