Perch Supply
Kent · 51.37°N

Birds of Herne Bay

What has actually been seen around Herne Bay: 222 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record
222 within 5 km
Observation records
25,814 since 2010
Most recorded bird
European Herring Gull
Busiest month
January
Elevation
1 m
Daylight, June / December
16.6 h / 7.9 h

What the records say about Herne Bay

222 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Herne Bay (Kent) since 2010, across 25,814 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are European Herring Gull, Woodpigeon and House Sparrow.

Herne Bay 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, House Sparrow, Carrion Crow and Starling make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

16 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Kestrel, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Common Buzzard. 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 January and are lowest in September — about 3.0 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.

Upstreet, 7 km to the south-east, has more species on record (241 against 222). Birds logged far more often around Herne Bay than there include House Sparrow, Rock Pigeon, Ruddy Turnstone and Eurasian Oystercatcher.

Daylight runs from 16 h 37 min at midsummer to 7 h 51 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 Herne Bay

#BirdRecords
1European Herring GullLarus argentatus1,051
2WoodpigeonColumba palumbus982
3House SparrowPasser domesticus916
4Carrion CrowCorvus corone892
5StarlingSturnus vulgaris854
6RobinErithacus rubecula846
7BlackbirdTurdus merula842
8Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus751
9Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus731
10Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto705
11WrenTroglodytes troglodytes658
12MagpiePica pica650
13Great TitParus major610
14Rock PigeonColumba livia602
15Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo553
16DunnockPrunella modularis484
17Pied WagtailMotacilla alba484
18Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpres464
19ChaffinchFringilla coelebs448
20GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis420

Records by month

What to put out in Herne Bay

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 Herne Bay?

The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Herne Bay are Woodpigeon, House Sparrow, Carrion Crow, Starling and Robin, based on 25,814 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Herne Bay?

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

When is the best month for birds in Herne Bay?

Observation records peak in January and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:38.

Sources

  1. GBIF occurrence search (birds, class Aves, 2010 onward)
  2. 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.