Birds of Great Dalby
What has actually been seen around Great Dalby: 168 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 168 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 15,160 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 105 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.9 h / 7.6 h
What the records say about Great Dalby
168 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Great Dalby (Leicestershire) since 2010, across 15,160 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Lesser Black-backed Gull.
Great Dalby is a garden-bird place: 68% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow and House Sparrow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
16 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Red Kite, 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 April and are lowest in December — about 3.2 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.
Melton Mowbray, 5 km to the north, has a similar number of species on record (172 against 168). Birds logged far more often around Great Dalby than there include Common Raven and Eurasian Hobby.
Daylight runs from 16 h 53 min at midsummer to 7 h 37 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:07 in mid-April and 4:38 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Great Dalby
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 993 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 644 |
| 3 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 599 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 542 |
| 5 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 492 |
| 6 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 440 |
| 7 | MagpiePica pica | 424 |
| 8 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 393 |
| 9 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 376 |
| 10 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 358 |
| 11 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 335 |
| 12 | Common RavenCorvus corax | 331 |
| 13 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 308 |
| 14 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 299 |
| 15 | SwiftApus apus | 285 |
| 16 | Great TitParus major | 276 |
| 17 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 223 |
| 18 | Barn SwallowHirundo rustica | 218 |
| 19 | Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus | 215 |
| 20 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 214 |
Records by month
What to put out in Great Dalby
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
- Woodpigeon
Seed mix
- Blackbird
Soaked sultanas · Apples · Mealworms
- House Sparrow
Seed mix · Sunflower hearts · Suet
- Robin
Mealworms · Suet pellets · Sunflower hearts
- Starling
Suet · Mealworms
- Jackdaw
Suet · Kitchen scraps
Seasonal bird notes for Leicestershire
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 Great Dalby?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Great Dalby are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, House Sparrow and Magpie, based on 15,160 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Great Dalby?
168 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Great Dalby?
Observation records peak in April 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.