Birds of Locking
What has actually been seen around Locking: 187 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 187 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 26,822 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 15 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Locking
187 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Locking (North Somerset) since 2010, across 26,822 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Robin.
Locking is a garden-bird place: 73% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin and House Sparrow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
14 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 April and are lowest in September — about 5.8 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.
Bleadon, 4 km to the south-west, has more species on record (216 against 187). Birds logged far more often around Locking than there include Nuthatch and Marsh Tit.
Daylight runs from 16 h 37 min at midsummer to 7 h 52 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:18 in mid-April and 4:54 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Locking
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 922 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 872 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 839 |
| 4 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 831 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 784 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 710 |
| 7 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 701 |
| 8 | MagpiePica pica | 676 |
| 9 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 625 |
| 10 | Great TitParus major | 614 |
| 11 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 601 |
| 12 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 594 |
| 13 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 573 |
| 14 | BlackcapSylvia atricapilla | 565 |
| 15 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 533 |
| 16 | Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus | 522 |
| 17 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 491 |
| 18 | Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major | 455 |
| 19 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 453 |
| 20 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 410 |
Records by month
What to put out in Locking
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
- Woodpigeon
Seed mix
- Blackbird
Soaked sultanas · Apples · Mealworms
- Robin
Mealworms · Suet pellets · Sunflower hearts
- House Sparrow
Seed mix · Sunflower hearts · Suet
- Blue Tit
Sunflower hearts · Peanuts (mesh feeder only) · Suet
- Goldfinch
Nyjer seed · Sunflower hearts
Seasonal bird notes for North Somerset
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 Locking?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Locking are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin, House Sparrow and Blue Tit, based on 26,822 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Locking?
187 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Locking?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:54.
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.