Perch Supply
North Northamptonshire · 52.50°N

Birds of Cottingham

What has actually been seen around Cottingham: 221 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record
221 within 5 km
Observation records
41,443 since 2010
Most recorded bird
Red Kite
Busiest month
August
Elevation
100 m
Daylight, June / December
16.8 h / 7.7 h

What the records say about Cottingham

221 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Cottingham (North Northamptonshire) since 2010, across 41,443 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Red Kite, Little Egret and Dunlin.

Water shapes this list. 55% of records near Cottingham are ducks, geese, gulls, waders, herons and other waterbirds — Little Egret, Dunlin and Common Shelduck lead them — which points to coast, estuary, river or open water within range. European Stonechat is still the most logged garden bird.

16 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Red Kite, Common Buzzard and Osprey. 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 August and are lowest in February — about 2.4 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.

Wilbarston, 4 km to the south-west, has fewer species on record (136 against 221). Birds logged far more often around Cottingham than there include Dunlin, Common Shelduck, Northern Pintail and Smew.

Daylight runs from 16 h 50 min at midsummer to 7 h 39 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:07 in mid-April and 4:39 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near Cottingham

#BirdRecords
1Red KiteMilvus milvus1,883
2Little EgretEgretta garzetta1,688
3DunlinCalidris alpina1,387
4Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna1,090
5Common BuzzardButeo buteo1,068
6Northern PintailAnas acuta813
7SmewMergellus albellus764
8Green SandpiperTringa ochropus720
9Common SnipeGallinago gallinago698
10OspreyPandion haliaetus681
11Common TernSterna hirundo657
12Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus629
13European StonechatSaxicola rubicola595
14Common Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticula583
15RuffCalidris pugnax536
16Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo534
17Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava528
18Red-legged PartridgeAlectoris rufa457
19ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita456
20Common RedshankTringa totanus420

Records by month

What to put out in Cottingham

Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.

Seasonal bird notes for North Northamptonshire

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 Cottingham?

The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Cottingham are European Stonechat, Western Yellow Wagtail, Chiffchaff, Common Whitethroat and Barn Swallow, based on 41,443 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Cottingham?

221 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).

When is the best month for birds in Cottingham?

Observation records peak in August and are lowest in February. Sunrise in late June is around 4:39.

Sources

  1. GBIF occurrence search (birds, class Aves, 2010 onward)
  2. 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.