Birds of Bowthorpe
What has actually been seen around Bowthorpe: 206 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 206 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 145,540 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- March
- Elevation
- 26 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.9 h / 7.6 h
What the records say about Bowthorpe
206 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Bowthorpe (Norfolk) since 2010, across 145,540 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Blue Tit.
Bowthorpe is a garden-bird place: 75% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Blue Tit and Magpie make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
15 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Common Kestrel. 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 March and are lowest in August — about 3.2 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.
Cringleford, 4 km to the south-east, has more species on record (213 against 206).
Daylight runs from 16 h 52 min at midsummer to 7 h 38 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 5:59 in mid-April and 4:30 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Bowthorpe
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 8,096 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 7,115 |
| 3 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 6,154 |
| 4 | MagpiePica pica | 5,959 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 5,918 |
| 6 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 5,848 |
| 7 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 5,691 |
| 8 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 5,230 |
| 9 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 4,720 |
| 10 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 4,483 |
| 11 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 4,349 |
| 12 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 4,283 |
| 13 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 4,069 |
| 14 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 4,062 |
| 15 | Great TitParus major | 4,025 |
| 16 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 3,964 |
| 17 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 2,784 |
| 18 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 2,743 |
| 19 | JayGarrulus glandarius | 2,680 |
| 20 | GreenfinchChloris chloris | 2,390 |
Records by month
What to put out in Bowthorpe
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Norfolk
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 Bowthorpe?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Bowthorpe are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Magpie and Robin, based on 145,540 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Bowthorpe?
206 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Bowthorpe?
Observation records peak in March and are lowest in August. Sunrise in late June is around 4:30.
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.