Birds of Brighstone
What has actually been seen around Brighstone: 130 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 130 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 2,640 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Robin
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 39 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.5 h / 8 h
What the records say about Brighstone
130 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Brighstone (Isle of Wight) since 2010, across 2,640 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Robin, Blackbird and Woodpigeon.
Brighstone is a garden-bird place: 76% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Robin, Blackbird, Woodpigeon and Yellowhammer make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
13 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel 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 May and are lowest in December — about 8.3 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.
Shalfleet, 7 km to the north, has more species on record (163 against 130). Birds logged far more often around Brighstone than there include Yellowhammer, European Stonechat, Eurasian Skylark and Common Whitethroat.
Daylight runs from 16 h 29 min at midsummer to 7 h 58 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:13 in mid-April and 4:52 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Brighstone
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 115 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 95 |
| 3 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 95 |
| 4 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 93 |
| 5 | YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella | 90 |
| 6 | Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus | 87 |
| 7 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 86 |
| 8 | European StonechatSaxicola rubicola | 86 |
| 9 | Common LinnetLinaria cannabina | 80 |
| 10 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 80 |
| 11 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 75 |
| 12 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 67 |
| 13 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 65 |
| 14 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 62 |
| 15 | Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensis | 57 |
| 16 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 56 |
| 17 | Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis | 54 |
| 18 | MagpiePica pica | 52 |
| 19 | Common WhitethroatSylvia communis | 51 |
| 20 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 49 |
Records by month
What to put out in Brighstone
Seasonal bird notes for Isle of Wight
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 Brighstone?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Brighstone are Robin, Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Yellowhammer and Goldfinch, based on 2,640 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Brighstone?
130 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Brighstone?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:52.
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.