Birds of Bovingdon
What has actually been seen around Bovingdon: 135 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 135 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 12,858 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- March
- Elevation
- 160 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Bovingdon
135 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Bovingdon (Hertfordshire) since 2010, across 12,858 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Robin and Red Kite.
Bovingdon 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, Robin, Magpie and Blackbird make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
12 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 March and are lowest in September — about 3.3 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.
Berkhamsted, 5 km to the north-west, has a similar number of species on record (133 against 135).
Daylight runs from 16 h 41 min at midsummer to 7 h 48 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 Bovingdon
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 909 |
| 2 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 746 |
| 3 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 700 |
| 4 | MagpiePica pica | 673 |
| 5 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 644 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 605 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 572 |
| 8 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 456 |
| 9 | Great TitParus major | 442 |
| 10 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 319 |
| 11 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 315 |
| 12 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 258 |
| 13 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 255 |
| 14 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 238 |
| 15 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 220 |
| 16 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 213 |
| 17 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 212 |
| 18 | SwiftApus apus | 207 |
| 19 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 205 |
| 20 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 194 |
Records by month
What to put out in Bovingdon
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 Bovingdon?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Bovingdon are Woodpigeon, Robin, Magpie, Blackbird and Carrion Crow, based on 12,858 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Bovingdon?
135 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Bovingdon?
Observation records peak in March 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.