Birds of Stevenage
What has actually been seen around Stevenage: 156 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 156 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 102,999 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Blue Tit
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 95 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Stevenage
156 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Stevenage (Hertfordshire) since 2010, across 102,999 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Blue Tit, Woodpigeon and Great Tit.
Stevenage is a garden-bird place: 77% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Blue Tit, Woodpigeon, Great Tit and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
11 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 April and are lowest in August — about 2.0 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.
Little Wymondley, 4 km to the north-west, has a similar number of species on record (156 against 156). Birds logged far more often around Stevenage than there include Eurasian Coot, Mute Swan, Great Cormorant and Great Crested Grebe.
Daylight runs from 16 h 43 min at midsummer to 7 h 46 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:06 in mid-April and 4:40 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Stevenage
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 6,327 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 6,087 |
| 3 | Great TitParus major | 5,696 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 4,997 |
| 5 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 4,466 |
| 6 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 3,869 |
| 7 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 3,669 |
| 8 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 3,595 |
| 9 | MagpiePica pica | 3,531 |
| 10 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 3,220 |
| 11 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 2,673 |
| 12 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 2,103 |
| 13 | GreenfinchChloris chloris | 1,997 |
| 14 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 1,968 |
| 15 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 1,833 |
| 16 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 1,717 |
| 17 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 1,605 |
| 18 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 1,597 |
| 19 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 1,555 |
| 20 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 1,553 |
Records by month
What to put out in Stevenage
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 Stevenage?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Stevenage are Blue Tit, Woodpigeon, Great Tit, Robin and Blackbird, based on 102,999 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Stevenage?
156 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Stevenage?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in August. Sunrise in late June is around 4:40.
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.