Birds of Otley
What has actually been seen around Otley: 151 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 151 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 11,321 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 65 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.1 h / 7.4 h
What the records say about Otley
151 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Otley (Leeds) since 2010, across 11,321 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Swift.
Otley is a garden-bird place: 63% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Magpie and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
11 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Red Kite, Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel.
Records peak in May and are lowest in September — about 4.8 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.
Burley in Wharfedale, 4 km to the west, has more species on record (156 against 151). Birds logged far more often around Otley than there include Mute Swan, Canada Goose, Tufted Duck and Eurasian Coot.
Daylight runs from 17 h 8 min at midsummer to 7 h 24 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:08 in mid-April and 4:34 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Otley
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 541 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 420 |
| 3 | SwiftApus apus | 390 |
| 4 | MagpiePica pica | 377 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 375 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 371 |
| 7 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 366 |
| 8 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 361 |
| 9 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 352 |
| 10 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 336 |
| 11 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 296 |
| 12 | Great TitParus major | 279 |
| 13 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 275 |
| 14 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 268 |
| 15 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 242 |
| 16 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 237 |
| 17 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 227 |
| 18 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 213 |
| 19 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 213 |
| 20 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 195 |
Records by month
What to put out in Otley
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Leeds
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 Otley?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Otley are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Magpie, Blue Tit and Robin, based on 11,321 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Otley?
151 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Otley?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:34.
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.