Birds of Skipton
What has actually been seen around Skipton: 159 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 159 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 5,563 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 113 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.1 h / 7.4 h
What the records say about Skipton
159 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Skipton (North Yorkshire) since 2010, across 5,563 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Jackdaw.
Skipton is a garden-bird place: 69% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Jackdaw and Robin 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 Red Kite. 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 April and are lowest in November — about 8.1 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, 4 km to the south, has fewer species on record (133 against 159). Birds logged far more often around Skipton than there include Great Egret.
Daylight runs from 17 h 8 min at midsummer to 7 h 23 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 Skipton
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 264 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 246 |
| 3 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 240 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 207 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 206 |
| 6 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 204 |
| 7 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 163 |
| 8 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 159 |
| 9 | MagpiePica pica | 147 |
| 10 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 138 |
| 11 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 137 |
| 12 | Great TitParus major | 135 |
| 13 | SwiftApus apus | 125 |
| 14 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 124 |
| 15 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 114 |
| 16 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 113 |
| 17 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 107 |
| 18 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 104 |
| 19 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 95 |
| 20 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 94 |
Records by month
What to put out in Skipton
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 Skipton?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Skipton are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Robin and Blue Tit, based on 5,563 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Skipton?
159 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Skipton?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in November. 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.