Birds of Meltham Mills
What has actually been seen around Meltham Mills: 140 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 140 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 5,575 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 171 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.1 h / 7.5 h
What the records say about Meltham Mills
140 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Meltham Mills (Kirklees) since 2010, across 5,575 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Robin.
Meltham Mills is a garden-bird place: 75% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin and Magpie make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
13 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Kestrel, Common Buzzard and Eurasian Sparrowhawk. 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 November — about 9.9 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.
Linthwaite, 3 km to the north, has a similar number of species on record (139 against 140). Birds logged far more often around Meltham Mills than there include Common Pheasant, Meadow Pipit, Northern Lapwing and Grey Wagtail.
Daylight runs from 17 h 4 min at midsummer to 7 h 27 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:09 in mid-April and 4:36 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Meltham Mills
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 309 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 297 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 272 |
| 4 | MagpiePica pica | 243 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 213 |
| 6 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 212 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 210 |
| 8 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 204 |
| 9 | Great TitParus major | 165 |
| 10 | SwiftApus apus | 162 |
| 11 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 156 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 151 |
| 13 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 150 |
| 14 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 119 |
| 15 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 104 |
| 16 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 103 |
| 17 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 101 |
| 18 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 101 |
| 19 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 89 |
| 20 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 85 |
Records by month
What to put out in Meltham Mills
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Kirklees
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 Meltham Mills?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Meltham Mills are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin, Magpie and Carrion Crow, based on 5,575 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Meltham Mills?
140 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Meltham Mills?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:36.
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.