Leicestershire · 52.48°N

Birds of Market Harborough

What has actually been seen around Market Harborough: 113 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record: 113 within 5 km
Observation records: 6,455 since 2010
Most recorded bird: Lesser Black-backed Gull
Busiest month: May
Elevation: 81 m
Daylight, June / December: 16.8 h / 7.7 h

What the records say about Market Harborough

113 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Market Harborough (Leicestershire) since 2010, across 6,455 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Lesser Black-backed Gull, Red Kite and Woodpigeon.

Market Harborough is a garden-bird place: 70% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

13 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 May and are lowest in November — about 1.8 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.

Clipston, 6 km to the south-west, has fewer species on record (81 against 113). Birds logged far more often around Market Harborough than there include Common Moorhen, Peregrine Falcon, Mute Swan and Little Egret.

Daylight runs from 16 h 50 min at midsummer to 7 h 40 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:07 in mid-April and 4:40 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near Market Harborough

#	Bird	Records
1	Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus	389
2	Red KiteMilvus milvus	311
3	WoodpigeonColumba palumbus	287
4	BlackbirdTurdus merula	266
5	RobinErithacus rubecula	264
6	Common BuzzardButeo buteo	230
7	Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus	227
8	House SparrowPasser domesticus	208
9	GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis	203
10	Great TitParus major	200
11	DunnockPrunella modularis	188
12	MagpiePica pica	171
13	WrenTroglodytes troglodytes	164
14	GreenfinchChloris chloris	158
15	Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus	154
16	Carrion CrowCorvus corone	147
17	Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto	146
18	Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus	139
19	ChaffinchFringilla coelebs	139
20	BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula	131

Records by month

What to put out in Market Harborough

Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.

Woodpigeon
Seed mix
Blackbird
Soaked sultanas · Apples · Mealworms
Robin
Mealworms · Suet pellets · Sunflower hearts
Blue Tit
Sunflower hearts · Peanuts (mesh feeder only) · Suet
House Sparrow
Seed mix · Sunflower hearts · Suet
Goldfinch
Nyjer seed · Sunflower hearts

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 Market Harborough?

The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Market Harborough are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin, Blue Tit and House Sparrow, based on 6,455 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Market Harborough?

113 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).

When is the best month for birds in Market Harborough?

Observation records peak in May and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:40.

Sources

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.