Birds of Johnstone
What has actually been seen around Johnstone: 87 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 87 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 7,723 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Magpie
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 36 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.6 h / 7 h
What the records say about Johnstone
87 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Johnstone (Renfrewshire) since 2010, across 7,723 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Magpie, Woodpigeon and Blackbird.
Johnstone is a garden-bird place: 92% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Magpie, Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
7 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk 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 April and are lowest in September — about 3.4 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.
Howwood, 3 km to the south-west, has more species on record (165 against 87). Birds logged far more often around Johnstone than there include Magpie, Woodpigeon, Great Spotted Woodpecker and Rock Pigeon.
Daylight runs from 17 h 35 min at midsummer to 6 h 59 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:15 in mid-April and 4:31 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Johnstone
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MagpiePica pica | 538 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 490 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 448 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 445 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 437 |
| 6 | Great TitParus major | 432 |
| 7 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 388 |
| 8 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 355 |
| 9 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 328 |
| 10 | Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major | 312 |
| 11 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 289 |
| 12 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 286 |
| 13 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 280 |
| 14 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 280 |
| 15 | GreenfinchChloris chloris | 222 |
| 16 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 189 |
| 17 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 160 |
| 18 | BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula | 157 |
| 19 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 141 |
| 20 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 137 |
Records by month
What to put out in Johnstone
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 Johnstone?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Johnstone are Magpie, Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin and Blue Tit, based on 7,723 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Johnstone?
87 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Johnstone?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in September. 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.