Birds of Castor
What has actually been seen around Castor: 200 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 200 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 28,781 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 15 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.6 h
What the records say about Castor
200 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Castor (Peterborough) since 2010, across 28,781 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow and Robin.
Castor is a garden-bird place: 63% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Robin and Magpie make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
16 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Red Kite, Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel.
Records peak in April and are lowest in July — about 2.8 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.
Elton, 6 km to the south-west, has fewer species on record (137 against 200). Birds logged far more often around Castor than there include Great Crested Grebe, Eurasian Coot, Northern Shoveler and Bank Swallow.
Daylight runs from 16 h 51 min at midsummer to 7 h 39 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:05 in mid-April and 4:37 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Castor
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,006 |
| 2 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 906 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 892 |
| 4 | MagpiePica pica | 887 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 860 |
| 6 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 819 |
| 7 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 753 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 727 |
| 9 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 686 |
| 10 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 669 |
| 11 | Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo | 612 |
| 12 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 574 |
| 13 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 572 |
| 14 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 555 |
| 15 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 548 |
| 16 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 548 |
| 17 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 525 |
| 18 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 506 |
| 19 | Gray HeronArdea cinerea | 467 |
| 20 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 441 |
Records by month
What to put out in Castor
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Peterborough
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 Castor?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Castor are Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Robin, Magpie and Blue Tit, based on 28,781 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Castor?
200 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Castor?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in July. 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.