Birds of Filey
What has actually been seen around Filey: 275 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 275 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 90,600 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- European Herring Gull
- Busiest month
- October
- Elevation
- 36 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.2 h / 7.3 h
What the records say about Filey
275 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Filey (North Yorkshire) since 2010, across 90,600 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are European Herring Gull, Woodpigeon and Blackbird.
Water shapes this list. 44% of records near Filey are ducks, geese, gulls, waders, herons and other waterbirds — European Herring Gull, Eurasian Oystercatcher and Black-headed Gull lead them — which points to coast, estuary, river or open water within range. Woodpigeon is still the most logged garden bird.
17 birds of prey are on record nearby, including 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 October and are lowest in December — about 3.2 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.
Hunmanby, 4 km to the south-west, has fewer species on record (257 against 275).
Daylight runs from 17 h 12 min at midsummer to 7 h 20 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:01 in mid-April and 4:26 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Filey
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 2,731 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 2,313 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 2,073 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 2,015 |
| 5 | Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegus | 1,778 |
| 6 | MagpiePica pica | 1,754 |
| 7 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 1,685 |
| 8 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 1,610 |
| 9 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 1,550 |
| 10 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 1,504 |
| 11 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 1,486 |
| 12 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 1,453 |
| 13 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 1,420 |
| 14 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 1,417 |
| 15 | Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo | 1,386 |
| 16 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 1,338 |
| 17 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 1,315 |
| 18 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 1,305 |
| 19 | Eurasian TealAnas crecca | 1,302 |
| 20 | Tree SparrowPasser montanus | 1,266 |
Records by month
What to put out in Filey
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
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 Filey?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Filey are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Magpie and Goldfinch, based on 90,600 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Filey?
275 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Filey?
Observation records peak in October and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:26.
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.