Birds of Sonning Common
What has actually been seen around Sonning Common: 97 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 97 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 9,712 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- June
- Elevation
- 87 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Sonning Common
97 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Sonning Common (Oxfordshire) since 2010, across 9,712 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Robin and Red Kite.
Sonning Common is a garden-bird place: 81% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
8 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Red Kite, Common Buzzard and Tawny Owl. 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 January — about 2.6 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.
Binfield Heath, 4 km to the south-east, has more species on record (136 against 97). Birds logged far more often around Sonning Common than there include Nuthatch, Coal Tit, Goldcrest and Common Raven.
Daylight runs from 16 h 39 min at midsummer to 7 h 50 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 Sonning Common
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 715 |
| 2 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 642 |
| 3 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 640 |
| 4 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 552 |
| 5 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 498 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 487 |
| 7 | MagpiePica pica | 463 |
| 8 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 412 |
| 9 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 394 |
| 10 | Great TitParus major | 356 |
| 11 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 337 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 285 |
| 13 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 227 |
| 14 | JayGarrulus glandarius | 223 |
| 15 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 211 |
| 16 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 205 |
| 17 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 197 |
| 18 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 178 |
| 19 | NuthatchSitta europaea | 173 |
| 20 | Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major | 162 |
Records by month
What to put out in Sonning Common
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 Sonning Common?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Sonning Common are Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Blue Tit and Magpie, based on 9,712 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Sonning Common?
97 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Sonning Common?
Observation records peak in June and are lowest in January. 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.