Birds of Dundonald
What has actually been seen around Dundonald: 103 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 103 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 2,792 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 43 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.3 h / 7.3 h
What the records say about Dundonald
103 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Dundonald (Lisburn and Castlereagh) since 2010, across 2,792 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Magpie.
Dundonald is a garden-bird place: 77% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Magpie and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
6 birds of prey are on record nearby, including 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 September — about 11.5 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.
Holywood, 6 km to the north, has more species on record (170 against 103). Birds logged far more often around Dundonald than there include Blackbird, Jackdaw, Great Tit and Common Buzzard.
Daylight runs from 17 h 17 min at midsummer to 7 h 15 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:23 in mid-April and 4:46 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Dundonald
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 186 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 174 |
| 3 | MagpiePica pica | 157 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 153 |
| 5 | Hooded CrowCorvus cornix | 98 |
| 6 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 98 |
| 7 | Great TitParus major | 91 |
| 8 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 88 |
| 9 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 86 |
| 10 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 84 |
| 11 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 76 |
| 12 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 74 |
| 13 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 65 |
| 14 | SwiftApus apus | 55 |
| 15 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 51 |
| 16 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 50 |
| 17 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 49 |
| 18 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 48 |
| 19 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 47 |
| 20 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 43 |
Records by month
What to put out in Dundonald
Seasonal bird notes for Lisburn and Castlereagh
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 Dundonald?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Dundonald are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Magpie, Robin and Hooded Crow, based on 2,792 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Dundonald?
103 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Dundonald?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:46.
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.