Birds of Ballachulish
What has actually been seen around Ballachulish: 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
- 5,035 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Robin
- Busiest month
- August
- Elevation
- 7 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.8 h / 6.8 h
What the records say about Ballachulish
133 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Ballachulish (Highland) since 2010, across 5,035 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Robin, Chaffinch and Hooded Crow.
Ballachulish is a garden-bird place: 72% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Robin, Chaffinch, Hooded Crow and Great Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
9 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard and Tawny Owl.
Records peak in August and are lowest in January — about 17.7 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.
Kinlochleven, 11 km to the east, has a similar number of species on record (137 against 133). Birds logged far more often around Ballachulish than there include Common Eider, Starling, Little Grebe and Greenfinch.
Daylight runs from 17 h 48 min at midsummer to 6 h 48 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:15 in mid-April and 4:27 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Ballachulish
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 414 |
| 2 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 366 |
| 3 | Hooded CrowCorvus cornix | 204 |
| 4 | Great TitParus major | 198 |
| 5 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 166 |
| 6 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 164 |
| 7 | Gray HeronArdea cinerea | 159 |
| 8 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 147 |
| 9 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 147 |
| 10 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 141 |
| 11 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 138 |
| 12 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 132 |
| 13 | SiskinSpinus spinus | 132 |
| 14 | Pied WagtailMotacilla alba | 122 |
| 15 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 115 |
| 16 | Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegus | 108 |
| 17 | Barn SwallowHirundo rustica | 101 |
| 18 | Common GullLarus canus | 100 |
| 19 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 92 |
| 20 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 92 |
Records by month
What to put out in Ballachulish
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Highland
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 Ballachulish?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Ballachulish are Robin, Chaffinch, Hooded Crow, Great Tit and Coal Tit, based on 5,035 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Ballachulish?
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 Ballachulish?
Observation records peak in August and are lowest in January. Sunrise in late June is around 4:27.
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.