Birds of Wantage
What has actually been seen around Wantage: 137 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 137 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 27,124 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 95 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.7 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Wantage
137 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Wantage (Oxfordshire) since 2010, across 27,124 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Red Kite.
Wantage is a garden-bird place: 80% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow and Robin 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 June — about 2.5 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.
Childrey, 4 km to the west, has a similar number of species on record (133 against 137).
Daylight runs from 16 h 39 min at midsummer to 7 h 49 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:11 in mid-April and 4:47 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Wantage
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,160 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 968 |
| 3 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 929 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 914 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 911 |
| 6 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 897 |
| 7 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 878 |
| 8 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 836 |
| 9 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 824 |
| 10 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 802 |
| 11 | MagpiePica pica | 762 |
| 12 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 702 |
| 13 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 687 |
| 14 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 687 |
| 15 | Great TitParus major | 680 |
| 16 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 610 |
| 17 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 605 |
| 18 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 540 |
| 19 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 529 |
| 20 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 508 |
Records by month
What to put out in Wantage
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 Wantage?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Wantage are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Robin and Jackdaw, based on 27,124 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Wantage?
137 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Wantage?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in June. Sunrise in late June is around 4:47.
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.