Birds of Sandown
What has actually been seen around Sandown: 206 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 206 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 29,285 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- October
- Elevation
- 37 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.5 h / 8 h
What the records say about Sandown
206 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Sandown (Isle of Wight) since 2010, across 29,285 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Jackdaw and Carrion Crow.
Sandown is a garden-bird place: 62% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow and Magpie make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
18 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel and Eurasian Marsh-Harrier.
Records peak in October and are lowest in February — about 3.1 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.
Shanklin, 3 km to the south-west, has fewer species on record (176 against 206). Birds logged far more often around Sandown than there include Canada Goose, Cetti's Warbler, Eurasian Marsh-Harrier and Northern Lapwing.
Daylight runs from 16 h 29 min at midsummer to 7 h 58 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:12 in mid-April and 4:51 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Sandown
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 993 |
| 2 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 958 |
| 3 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 913 |
| 4 | MagpiePica pica | 867 |
| 5 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 850 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 831 |
| 7 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 818 |
| 8 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 750 |
| 9 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 693 |
| 10 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 687 |
| 11 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 647 |
| 12 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 632 |
| 13 | Great TitParus major | 630 |
| 14 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 611 |
| 15 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 574 |
| 16 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 557 |
| 17 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 518 |
| 18 | Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus | 517 |
| 19 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 497 |
| 20 | Gray HeronArdea cinerea | 493 |
Records by month
What to put out in Sandown
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 Sandown?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Sandown are Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow, Magpie and Robin, based on 29,285 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Sandown?
206 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Sandown?
Observation records peak in October and are lowest in February. Sunrise in late June is around 4:51.
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.