Highland · 57.14°N

Birds of Fort Augustus

What has actually been seen around Fort Augustus: 107 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record: 107 within 5 km
Observation records: 2,706 since 2010
Most recorded bird: Mallard
Busiest month: June
Elevation: 34 m
Daylight, June / December: 17.9 h / 6.7 h

What the records say about Fort Augustus

107 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Fort Augustus (Highland) since 2010, across 2,706 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Mallard, House Sparrow and Pied Wagtail.

Fort Augustus is a garden-bird place: 70% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch and Blackbird make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

9 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Red Kite. 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 June and are lowest in January — about 33.2 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.

Drumnadrochit, 25 km to the north-east, has a similar number of species on record (108 against 107). Birds logged far more often around Fort Augustus than there include Collared Dove, Graylag Goose and Common Sandpiper.

Daylight runs from 17 h 56 min at midsummer to 6 h 41 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:12 in mid-April and 4:22 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near Fort Augustus

#	Bird	Records
1	MallardAnas platyrhynchos	220
2	House SparrowPasser domesticus	139
3	Pied WagtailMotacilla alba	138
4	ChaffinchFringilla coelebs	133
5	BlackbirdTurdus merula	124
6	Barn SwallowHirundo rustica	110
7	RobinErithacus rubecula	105
8	Common GullLarus canus	85
9	Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto	82
10	Song ThrushTurdus philomelos	78
11	Great TitParus major	68
12	WoodpigeonColumba palumbus	64
13	European Herring GullLarus argentatus	61
14	House MartinDelichon urbicum	55
15	SwiftApus apus	54
16	Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus	53
17	SiskinSpinus spinus	51
18	StarlingSturnus vulgaris	50
19	GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis	47
20	Graylag GooseAnser anser	45

Records by month

What to put out in Fort Augustus

Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.

House Sparrow
Seed mix · Sunflower hearts · Suet
Pied Wagtail
Mealworms
Chaffinch
Sunflower hearts · Seed mix
Blackbird
Soaked sultanas · Apples · Mealworms
Robin
Mealworms · Suet pellets · Sunflower hearts
Collared Dove
Seed mix

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 Fort Augustus?

The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Fort Augustus are House Sparrow, Pied Wagtail, Chaffinch, Blackbird and Barn Swallow, based on 2,706 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Fort Augustus?

107 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).

When is the best month for birds in Fort Augustus?

Observation records peak in June and are lowest in January. Sunrise in late June is around 4:22.

Sources

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.