Birds of Saddleworth
What has actually been seen around Saddleworth: 141 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 141 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 11,275 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Robin
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 171 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.1 h / 7.5 h
What the records say about Saddleworth
141 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Saddleworth (Oldham) since 2010, across 11,275 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Robin, Mallard and Common Pheasant.
Saddleworth 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. Robin, Chaffinch, Woodpigeon and Jackdaw make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
16 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Kestrel, Common Buzzard 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 May and are lowest in September — about 8.6 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.
Mossley, 4 km to the south-west, has a similar number of species on record (143 against 141).
Daylight runs from 17 h 3 min at midsummer to 7 h 28 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:10 in mid-April and 4:37 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Saddleworth
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 354 |
| 2 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 352 |
| 3 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 347 |
| 4 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 345 |
| 5 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 344 |
| 6 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 341 |
| 7 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 337 |
| 8 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 330 |
| 9 | Great TitParus major | 316 |
| 10 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 306 |
| 11 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 302 |
| 12 | Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis | 286 |
| 13 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 247 |
| 14 | SiskinSpinus spinus | 246 |
| 15 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 244 |
| 16 | Pied WagtailMotacilla alba | 239 |
| 17 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 232 |
| 18 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 225 |
| 19 | MagpiePica pica | 222 |
| 20 | Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus | 196 |
Records by month
What to put out in Saddleworth
Seasonal bird notes for Oldham
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 Saddleworth?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Saddleworth are Robin, Chaffinch, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw and Goldfinch, based on 11,275 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Saddleworth?
141 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Saddleworth?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:37.
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.