Birds of Cross Hills
What has actually been seen around Cross Hills: 133 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 133 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 6,183 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Mallard
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 93 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.1 h / 7.4 h
What the records say about Cross Hills
133 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Cross Hills (North Yorkshire) since 2010, across 6,183 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Mallard, Woodpigeon and Jackdaw.
The records split between garden birds (58%) and waterbirds (35%), so a feeder in Cross Hills sees the familiar Woodpigeon, Jackdaw and Blackbird, while Mallard and others turn up on nearby water.
11 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 May and are lowest in December — about 4.2 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.
Low Bradley, 3 km to the north, has a similar number of species on record (133 against 133). Birds logged far more often around Cross Hills than there include Eurasian Coot, Tufted Duck, Northern Pintail and Eurasian Wigeon.
Daylight runs from 17 h 8 min at midsummer to 7 h 24 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:09 in mid-April and 4:35 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Cross Hills
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 300 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 297 |
| 3 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 285 |
| 4 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 255 |
| 5 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 212 |
| 6 | MagpiePica pica | 192 |
| 7 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 188 |
| 8 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 183 |
| 9 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 170 |
| 10 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 166 |
| 11 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 165 |
| 12 | Eurasian CootFulica atra | 145 |
| 13 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 138 |
| 14 | Tufted DuckAythya fuligula | 126 |
| 15 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 125 |
| 16 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 124 |
| 17 | Pied WagtailMotacilla alba | 119 |
| 18 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 115 |
| 19 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 114 |
| 20 | Graylag GooseAnser anser | 108 |
Records by month
What to put out in Cross Hills
Seasonal bird notes for North Yorkshire
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 Cross Hills?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Cross Hills are Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Magpie and Carrion Crow, based on 6,183 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Cross Hills?
133 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Cross Hills?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:35.
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.