Birds of Ellingham
What has actually been seen around Ellingham: 150 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 150 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 7,103 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- January
- Elevation
- 5 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Ellingham
150 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Ellingham (Norfolk) since 2010, across 7,103 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit and Blackbird.
Ellingham is a garden-bird place: 67% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Blackbird and Jackdaw make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
12 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Red Kite and Barn Owl. 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 January and are lowest in October — about 6.2 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.
Bungay, 5 km to the south-west, has fewer species on record (133 against 150). Birds logged far more often around Ellingham than there include Peregrine Falcon.
Daylight runs from 16 h 50 min at midsummer to 7 h 40 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 5:58 in mid-April and 4:30 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Ellingham
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 359 |
| 2 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 302 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 286 |
| 4 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 252 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 230 |
| 6 | Great TitParus major | 190 |
| 7 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 187 |
| 8 | SwiftApus apus | 184 |
| 9 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 177 |
| 10 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 164 |
| 11 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 162 |
| 12 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 160 |
| 13 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 156 |
| 14 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 152 |
| 15 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 148 |
| 16 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 138 |
| 17 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 134 |
| 18 | MagpiePica pica | 128 |
| 19 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 124 |
| 20 | Barn OwlTyto alba | 121 |
Records by month
What to put out in Ellingham
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 Ellingham?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Ellingham are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Blackbird, Jackdaw and Robin, based on 7,103 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Ellingham?
150 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Ellingham?
Observation records peak in January and are lowest in October. 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.