Birds of Loughborough
What has actually been seen around Loughborough: 200 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 200 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 103,439 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 49 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.9 h / 7.6 h
What the records say about Loughborough
200 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Loughborough (Leicestershire) since 2010, across 103,439 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Blue Tit.
Loughborough is a garden-bird place: 74% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Blue Tit and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
14 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Red Kite. 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 July — about 1.7 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.
Barrow upon Soar, 4 km to the south-east, has more species on record (219 against 200).
Daylight runs from 16 h 53 min at midsummer to 7 h 36 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:08 in mid-April and 4:39 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Loughborough
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 4,571 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 4,200 |
| 3 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 3,932 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 3,909 |
| 5 | MagpiePica pica | 3,675 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 3,634 |
| 7 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 3,440 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 3,136 |
| 9 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 3,100 |
| 10 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 2,696 |
| 11 | GreenfinchChloris chloris | 2,605 |
| 12 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 2,518 |
| 13 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 2,475 |
| 14 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 2,408 |
| 15 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 2,297 |
| 16 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 2,189 |
| 17 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 2,000 |
| 18 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 1,877 |
| 19 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 1,858 |
| 20 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 1,603 |
Records by month
What to put out in Loughborough
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
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 Loughborough?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Loughborough are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Robin and Magpie, based on 103,439 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Loughborough?
200 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Loughborough?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in July. Sunrise in late June is around 4:39.
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.