Birds of Hawkhead
What has actually been seen around Hawkhead: 109 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 109 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 8,140 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Magpie
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 14 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.6 h / 7 h
What the records say about Hawkhead
109 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Hawkhead (Renfrewshire) since 2010, across 8,140 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Magpie, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow.
Hawkhead is a garden-bird place: 78% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Magpie, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow and Blackbird make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
6 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk 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 February — 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.
Paisley, 3 km to the west, has fewer species on record (104 against 109). Birds logged far more often around Hawkhead than there include Stock Dove, Jay, Common Kingfisher and Bank Swallow.
Daylight runs from 17 h 35 min at midsummer to 6 h 59 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:14 in mid-April and 4:31 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Hawkhead
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MagpiePica pica | 575 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 544 |
| 3 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 497 |
| 4 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 403 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 399 |
| 6 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 378 |
| 7 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 310 |
| 8 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 300 |
| 9 | Great TitParus major | 300 |
| 10 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 285 |
| 11 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 284 |
| 12 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 280 |
| 13 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 236 |
| 14 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 192 |
| 15 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 190 |
| 16 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 187 |
| 17 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 160 |
| 18 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 154 |
| 19 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 133 |
| 20 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 130 |
Records by month
What to put out in Hawkhead
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Renfrewshire
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 Hawkhead?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Hawkhead are Magpie, Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Blackbird and Robin, based on 8,140 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Hawkhead?
109 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Hawkhead?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in February. Sunrise in late June is around 4:31.
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.