Birds of Cowley
What has actually been seen around Cowley: 160 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 160 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 161,563 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 75 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Cowley
160 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Cowley (Oxfordshire) since 2010, across 161,563 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Robin and Magpie.
Cowley 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, Robin, Magpie and Blackbird make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
13 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Red Kite, Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel. 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 September — about 2.4 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.
Garsington, 4 km to the south-east, has fewer species on record (134 against 160). Birds logged far more often around Cowley than there include Canada Goose, Graylag Goose, Mute Swan and Great Cormorant.
Daylight runs from 16 h 41 min at midsummer to 7 h 47 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:10 in mid-April and 4:45 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Cowley
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 8,562 |
| 2 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 7,242 |
| 3 | MagpiePica pica | 6,817 |
| 4 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 6,321 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 5,945 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 5,680 |
| 7 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 5,498 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 5,131 |
| 9 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 4,712 |
| 10 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 4,712 |
| 11 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 4,492 |
| 12 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 4,263 |
| 13 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 4,063 |
| 14 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 4,015 |
| 15 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 3,980 |
| 16 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 3,837 |
| 17 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 3,736 |
| 18 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 3,359 |
| 19 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 3,146 |
| 20 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 3,093 |
Records by month
What to put out in Cowley
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Oxfordshire
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 Cowley?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Cowley are Woodpigeon, Robin, Magpie, Blackbird and Blue Tit, based on 161,563 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Cowley?
160 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Cowley?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:45.
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.