Birds of Thame
What has actually been seen around Thame: 136 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 136 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 9,009 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Busiest month
- February
- Elevation
- 72 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Thame
136 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Thame (Oxfordshire) since 2010, across 9,009 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Lesser Black-backed Gull, Red Kite and Woodpigeon.
Thame is a garden-bird place: 60% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
11 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 February and are lowest in August — about 6.8 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.
Long Crendon, 3 km to the north-west, has fewer species on record (127 against 136). Birds logged far more often around Thame than there include Eurasian Coot, Tufted Duck, Little Grebe and Gadwall.
Daylight runs from 16 h 41 min at midsummer to 7 h 47 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:09 in mid-April and 4:44 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Thame
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 820 |
| 2 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 390 |
| 3 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 292 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 233 |
| 5 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 228 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 213 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 212 |
| 8 | MagpiePica pica | 200 |
| 9 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 200 |
| 10 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 195 |
| 11 | SwiftApus apus | 190 |
| 12 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 183 |
| 13 | Great TitParus major | 173 |
| 14 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 163 |
| 15 | Pied WagtailMotacilla alba | 163 |
| 16 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 162 |
| 17 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 158 |
| 18 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 156 |
| 19 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 152 |
| 20 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 151 |
Records by month
What to put out in Thame
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 Thame?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Thame are Woodpigeon, Robin, Blackbird, Carrion Crow and Blue Tit, based on 9,009 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Thame?
136 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Thame?
Observation records peak in February and are lowest in August. Sunrise in late June is around 4:44.
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.