Birds of Olney
What has actually been seen around Olney: 119 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 119 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 6,493 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Busiest month
- August
- Elevation
- 53 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Olney
119 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Olney (Milton Keynes) since 2010, across 6,493 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Lesser Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow.
Olney is a garden-bird place: 66% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Robin and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
10 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Red Kite, Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel.
Records peak in August and are lowest in October — about 3.3 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.
Lavendon, 4 km to the north-east, has fewer species on record (111 against 119). Birds logged far more often around Olney than there include Grey Wagtail and Northern Wheatear.
Daylight runs from 16 h 46 min at midsummer to 7 h 43 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:07 in mid-April and 4:41 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Olney
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 854 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 260 |
| 3 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 246 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 216 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 210 |
| 6 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 201 |
| 7 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 199 |
| 8 | MagpiePica pica | 199 |
| 9 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 174 |
| 10 | Great TitParus major | 152 |
| 11 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 147 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 145 |
| 13 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 143 |
| 14 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 130 |
| 15 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 108 |
| 16 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 102 |
| 17 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 102 |
| 18 | YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella | 101 |
| 19 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 101 |
| 20 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 98 |
Records by month
What to put out in Olney
Seasonal bird notes for Milton Keynes
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 Olney?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Olney are Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Robin, Blue Tit and Jackdaw, based on 6,493 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Olney?
119 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Olney?
Observation records peak in August and are lowest in October. Sunrise in late June is around 4:41.
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.