Birds of Settle
What has actually been seen around Settle: 126 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 126 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 4,832 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Swift
- Busiest month
- March
- Elevation
- 158 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.2 h / 7.4 h
What the records say about Settle
126 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Settle (North Yorkshire) since 2010, across 4,832 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Swift, Jackdaw and Blackbird.
Settle is a garden-bird place: 72% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Jackdaw, Blackbird, Carrion Crow and Woodpigeon make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
12 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 March and are lowest in September — about 6.6 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.
Hellifield, 8 km to the south-east, has more species on record (138 against 126). Birds logged far more often around Settle than there include White-throated Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Nuthatch and Chiffchaff.
Daylight runs from 17 h 10 min at midsummer to 7 h 22 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:10 in mid-April and 4:35 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Settle
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | SwiftApus apus | 199 |
| 2 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 194 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 184 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 176 |
| 5 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 168 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 157 |
| 7 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 155 |
| 8 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 144 |
| 9 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 143 |
| 10 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 132 |
| 11 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 132 |
| 12 | Great TitParus major | 131 |
| 13 | MagpiePica pica | 109 |
| 14 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 107 |
| 15 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 103 |
| 16 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 96 |
| 17 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 92 |
| 18 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 85 |
| 19 | Common GullLarus canus | 83 |
| 20 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 81 |
Records by month
What to put out in Settle
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 Settle?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Settle are Jackdaw, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon and Robin, based on 4,832 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Settle?
126 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Settle?
Observation records peak in March and are lowest in September. 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.