Birds of Shotts
What has actually been seen around Shotts: 67 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 67 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 181 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Carrion Crow
- Busiest month
- June
- Elevation
- 216 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.6 h / 7 h
What the records say about Shotts
67 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Shotts (North Lanarkshire) since 2010, across 181 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Carrion Crow, Magpie and Woodpigeon.
Shotts is a garden-bird place: 69% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon and Jackdaw make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
5 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel 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 June and are lowest in March — about 24.5 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.
Salsburgh, 5 km to the north-west, has more species on record (79 against 67).
At about 216 m above sea level, Shotts sits higher than most places in North Lanarkshire. Spring arrives a little later with height, and feeders matter more in cold snaps — keep a supply of high-fat food going through late winter.
Daylight runs from 17 h 35 min at midsummer to 6 h 59 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:12 in mid-April and 4:29 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Shotts
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 14 |
| 2 | MagpiePica pica | 12 |
| 3 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 9 |
| 4 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 9 |
| 5 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 8 |
| 6 | Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus | 7 |
| 7 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 5 |
| 8 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 5 |
| 9 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 5 |
| 10 | Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus | 4 |
| 11 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 4 |
| 12 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 4 |
| 13 | Barn SwallowHirundo rustica | 4 |
| 14 | Gray HeronArdea cinerea | 4 |
| 15 | Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus | 3 |
| 16 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 3 |
| 17 | Common RavenCorvus corax | 3 |
| 18 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 3 |
| 19 | SwiftApus apus | 3 |
| 20 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 3 |
Records by month
What to put out in Shotts
Seasonal bird notes for North Lanarkshire
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 Shotts?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Shotts are Carrion Crow, Magpie, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw and Robin, based on 181 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Shotts?
67 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Shotts?
Observation records peak in June and are lowest in March. Sunrise in late June is around 4:29.
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.