Birds of Bishops Stortford
What has actually been seen around Bishops Stortford: 115 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 115 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 4,174 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 70 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Bishops Stortford
115 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Bishops Stortford (Hertfordshire) since 2010, across 4,174 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Swift and Magpie.
Bishops Stortford 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, Magpie, Carrion Crow and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
10 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Red Kite 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 November — about 5.4 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.
Stansted Mountfitchet, 4 km to the north-east, has more species on record (128 against 115). Birds logged far more often around Bishops Stortford than there include Gray Heron and Cetti's Warbler.
Daylight runs from 16 h 43 min at midsummer to 7 h 46 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:04 in mid-April and 4:39 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Bishops Stortford
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 331 |
| 2 | SwiftApus apus | 249 |
| 3 | MagpiePica pica | 196 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 186 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 174 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 164 |
| 7 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 161 |
| 8 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 123 |
| 9 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 122 |
| 10 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 109 |
| 11 | Great TitParus major | 105 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 102 |
| 13 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 98 |
| 14 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 96 |
| 15 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 84 |
| 16 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 83 |
| 17 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 79 |
| 18 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 72 |
| 19 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 70 |
| 20 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 70 |
Records by month
What to put out in Bishops Stortford
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 Bishops Stortford?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Bishops Stortford are Woodpigeon, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Robin and Blue Tit, based on 4,174 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Bishops Stortford?
115 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Bishops Stortford?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in November. 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.