Birds of Dover
What has actually been seen around Dover: 217 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 217 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 28,673 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- European Herring Gull
- Busiest month
- August
- Elevation
- 12 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Dover
217 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Dover (Kent) since 2010, across 28,673 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are European Herring Gull, Mediterranean Gull and Magpie.
Dover is a garden-bird place: 67% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Magpie, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
17 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Kestrel, Common Buzzard and Peregrine Falcon. 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 August and are lowest in December — about 3.5 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.
Capel le Ferne, 8 km to the west, has fewer species on record (155 against 217). Birds logged far more often around Dover than there include Corn Bunting, Stock Dove, Grey Wagtail and Black-legged Kittiwake.
Daylight runs from 16 h 34 min at midsummer to 7 h 54 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:01 in mid-April and 4:38 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Dover
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 1,595 |
| 2 | Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus | 1,111 |
| 3 | MagpiePica pica | 1,045 |
| 4 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 1,022 |
| 5 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 992 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 892 |
| 7 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 784 |
| 8 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 752 |
| 9 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 668 |
| 10 | Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus | 663 |
| 11 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 591 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 564 |
| 13 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 560 |
| 14 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 529 |
| 15 | Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensis | 511 |
| 16 | Great TitParus major | 501 |
| 17 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 500 |
| 18 | Common LinnetLinaria cannabina | 497 |
| 19 | Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo | 488 |
| 20 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 473 |
Records by month
What to put out in Dover
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Kent
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 Dover?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Dover are Magpie, Jackdaw, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow and Robin, based on 28,673 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Dover?
217 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Dover?
Observation records peak in August and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:38.
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.