Birds of Ballymena
What has actually been seen around Ballymena: 93 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 93 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 2,861 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- October
- Elevation
- 49 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.3 h / 7.2 h
What the records say about Ballymena
93 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Ballymena (Mid and East Antrim) since 2010, across 2,861 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Robin and Blackbird.
Ballymena 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, Robin, Blackbird and Wren 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 October and are lowest in March — about 7.1 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.
Broughshane, 5 km to the north-east, has fewer species on record (81 against 93). Birds logged far more often around Ballymena than there include Common Buzzard, Common Kingfisher, Common Nighthawk and Eurasian Sparrowhawk.
Daylight runs from 17 h 21 min at midsummer to 7 h 12 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:24 in mid-April and 4:46 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Ballymena
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 142 |
| 2 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 137 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 130 |
| 4 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 129 |
| 5 | Hooded CrowCorvus cornix | 128 |
| 6 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 126 |
| 7 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 124 |
| 8 | MagpiePica pica | 122 |
| 9 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 111 |
| 10 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 93 |
| 11 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 83 |
| 12 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 82 |
| 13 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 75 |
| 14 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 71 |
| 15 | Pied WagtailMotacilla alba | 62 |
| 16 | Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo | 55 |
| 17 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 54 |
| 18 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 52 |
| 19 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 51 |
| 20 | SwiftApus apus | 51 |
Records by month
What to put out in Ballymena
Seasonal bird notes for Mid and East Antrim
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 Ballymena?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Ballymena are Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Wren and Hooded Crow, based on 2,861 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Ballymena?
93 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Ballymena?
Observation records peak in October and are lowest in March. 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.