Birds of Great Ayton
What has actually been seen around Great Ayton: 112 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 112 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 3,355 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 93 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.3 h / 7.3 h
What the records say about Great Ayton
112 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Great Ayton (North Yorkshire) since 2010, across 3,355 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Robin.
Great Ayton is a garden-bird place: 78% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
9 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Kestrel, Common Buzzard and Barn Owl. 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 October — about 9.7 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.
Stokesley, 4 km to the south-west, has fewer species on record (98 against 112). Birds logged far more often around Great Ayton than there include Meadow Pipit, Willow Warbler, Common Linnet and European Stonechat.
Daylight runs from 17 h 16 min at midsummer to 7 h 17 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:04 in mid-April and 4:28 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Great Ayton
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 161 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 147 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 139 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 132 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 127 |
| 6 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 119 |
| 7 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 108 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 100 |
| 9 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 96 |
| 10 | SwiftApus apus | 85 |
| 11 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 84 |
| 12 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 81 |
| 13 | MagpiePica pica | 79 |
| 14 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 75 |
| 15 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 74 |
| 16 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 68 |
| 17 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 61 |
| 18 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 59 |
| 19 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 56 |
| 20 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 53 |
Records by month
What to put out in Great Ayton
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 Great Ayton?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Great Ayton are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin, Carrion Crow and Blue Tit, based on 3,355 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Great Ayton?
112 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Great Ayton?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in October. Sunrise in late June is around 4:28.
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.