Birds of Pickering
What has actually been seen around Pickering: 121 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 121 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 2,800 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- June
- Elevation
- 62 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.2 h / 7.3 h
What the records say about Pickering
121 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Pickering (North Yorkshire) since 2010, across 2,800 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Swift and Blackbird.
Pickering 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, Chaffinch and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
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 June and are lowest in October — about 9.2 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.
Thornton Dale, 3 km to the south-east, has more species on record (128 against 121).
Daylight runs from 17 h 12 min at midsummer to 7 h 19 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:03 in mid-April and 4:28 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Pickering
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 138 |
| 2 | SwiftApus apus | 136 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 116 |
| 4 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 91 |
| 5 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 81 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 79 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 77 |
| 8 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 76 |
| 9 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 74 |
| 10 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 69 |
| 11 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 67 |
| 12 | Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea | 60 |
| 13 | Great TitParus major | 58 |
| 14 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 56 |
| 15 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 50 |
| 16 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 49 |
| 17 | White-throated DipperCinclus cinclus | 48 |
| 18 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 48 |
| 19 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 44 |
| 20 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 44 |
Records by month
What to put out in Pickering
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 Pickering?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Pickering are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Chaffinch, Robin and Blue Tit, based on 2,800 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Pickering?
121 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Pickering?
Observation records peak in June 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.