Birds of Swaffham
What has actually been seen around Swaffham: 152 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 152 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 21,166 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Busiest month
- March
- Elevation
- 76 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.9 h / 7.6 h
What the records say about Swaffham
152 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Swaffham (Norfolk) since 2010, across 21,166 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Buzzard and Woodpigeon.
Swaffham is a garden-bird place: 65% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Carrion Crow and Goldfinch make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
14 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel and Tawny 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 March and are lowest in December — about 4.3 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.
Sporle, 4 km to the north-east, has fewer species on record (104 against 152). Birds logged far more often around Swaffham than there include Siskin, Mistle Thrush, Marsh Tit and Northern Lapwing.
Daylight runs from 16 h 52 min at midsummer to 7 h 38 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:01 in mid-April and 4:32 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Swaffham
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 1,261 |
| 2 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 755 |
| 3 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 754 |
| 4 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 561 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 521 |
| 6 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 504 |
| 7 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 483 |
| 8 | Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensis | 463 |
| 9 | SiskinSpinus spinus | 460 |
| 10 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 407 |
| 11 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 402 |
| 12 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 390 |
| 13 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 384 |
| 14 | Red-legged PartridgeAlectoris rufa | 373 |
| 15 | Pied WagtailMotacilla alba | 344 |
| 16 | Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus | 336 |
| 17 | YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella | 325 |
| 18 | Marsh TitPoecile palustris | 315 |
| 19 | Northern LapwingVanellus vanellus | 313 |
| 20 | Common LinnetLinaria cannabina | 310 |
Records by month
What to put out in Swaffham
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 Swaffham?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Swaffham are Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Carrion Crow, Goldfinch and Eurasian Skylark, based on 21,166 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Swaffham?
152 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Swaffham?
Observation records peak in March and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:32.
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.