Birds of Horncastle
What has actually been seen around Horncastle: 108 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 108 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 2,793 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Blackbird
- Busiest month
- December
- Elevation
- 33 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17 h / 7.5 h
What the records say about Horncastle
108 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Horncastle (Lincolnshire) since 2010, across 2,793 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Blackbird, Woodpigeon and Robin.
Horncastle 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. Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Robin and Jackdaw make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
8 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel and Red Kite.
Records peak in December and are lowest in August — about 30.7 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.
Mareham le Fen, 9 km to the south, has more species on record (145 against 108). Birds logged far more often around Horncastle than there include Blackbird, Collared Dove, Dunnock and Rock Pigeon.
Daylight runs from 16 h 59 min at midsummer to 7 h 32 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:03 in mid-April and 4:32 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Horncastle
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 164 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 162 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 148 |
| 4 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 133 |
| 5 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 119 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 104 |
| 7 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 96 |
| 8 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 94 |
| 9 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 88 |
| 10 | Great TitParus major | 84 |
| 11 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 82 |
| 12 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 78 |
| 13 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 73 |
| 14 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 69 |
| 15 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 68 |
| 16 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 63 |
| 17 | SwiftApus apus | 59 |
| 18 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 58 |
| 19 | MagpiePica pica | 54 |
| 20 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 53 |
Records by month
What to put out in Horncastle
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Lincolnshire
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 Horncastle?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Horncastle are Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Robin, Jackdaw and Blue Tit, based on 2,793 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Horncastle?
108 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Horncastle?
Observation records peak in December and are lowest in August. Sunrise in late June is around 4:32.
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.