Birds of Skelmersdale
What has actually been seen around Skelmersdale: 119 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 119 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 7,088 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 71 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.1 h / 7.5 h
What the records say about Skelmersdale
119 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Skelmersdale (Lancashire) since 2010, across 7,088 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Robin.
Skelmersdale 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. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin and Magpie make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
12 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel 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 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.
Parbold, 5 km to the north, has more species on record (141 against 119). Birds logged far more often around Skelmersdale than there include White-throated Dipper.
Daylight runs from 17 h 3 min at midsummer to 7 h 28 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:13 in mid-April and 4:40 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Skelmersdale
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 484 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 357 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 313 |
| 4 | MagpiePica pica | 302 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 270 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 237 |
| 7 | Great TitParus major | 224 |
| 8 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 224 |
| 9 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 216 |
| 10 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 182 |
| 11 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 155 |
| 12 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 152 |
| 13 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 152 |
| 14 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 141 |
| 15 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 140 |
| 16 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 137 |
| 17 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 136 |
| 18 | NuthatchSitta europaea | 132 |
| 19 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 131 |
| 20 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 131 |
Records by month
What to put out in Skelmersdale
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Lancashire
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 Skelmersdale?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Skelmersdale are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin, Magpie and Blue Tit, based on 7,088 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Skelmersdale?
119 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Skelmersdale?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:40.
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.