Perch Supply
Salford · 53.44°N

Birds of Irlam

What has actually been seen around Irlam: 189 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record
189 within 5 km
Observation records
132,349 since 2010
Most recorded bird
Common Buzzard
Busiest month
April
Elevation
22 m
Daylight, June / December
17 h / 7.5 h

What the records say about Irlam

189 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Irlam (Salford) since 2010, across 132,349 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Common Buzzard, Woodpigeon and Northern Lapwing.

Irlam is a garden-bird place: 65% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Yellowhammer and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

15 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel and Eurasian Sparrowhawk. 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 2.3 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.

Urmston, 5 km to the east, has fewer species on record (180 against 189). Birds logged far more often around Irlam than there include Northern Lapwing, Yellowhammer, Eurasian Skylark and Common Linnet.

Daylight runs from 17 h 2 min at midsummer to 7 h 29 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:12 in mid-April and 4:40 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near Irlam

#BirdRecords
1Common BuzzardButeo buteo3,259
2WoodpigeonColumba palumbus2,697
3Northern LapwingVanellus vanellus2,571
4ChaffinchFringilla coelebs2,495
5YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella2,456
6Carrion CrowCorvus corone2,447
7Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus2,415
8BlackbirdTurdus merula2,405
9Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensis2,390
10GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis2,355
11Pied WagtailMotacilla alba2,354
12MagpiePica pica2,348
13Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus2,284
14RobinErithacus rubecula2,265
15StarlingSturnus vulgaris2,233
16Barn SwallowHirundo rustica2,186
17Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus2,172
18WrenTroglodytes troglodytes2,149
19Common LinnetLinaria cannabina2,130
20Stock DoveColumba oenas2,127

Records by month

What to put out in Irlam

Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.

Seasonal bird notes for Salford

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 Irlam?

The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Irlam are Woodpigeon, Chaffinch, Yellowhammer, Carrion Crow and Blackbird, based on 132,349 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Irlam?

189 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).

When is the best month for birds in Irlam?

Observation records peak in April and are lowest in February. Sunrise in late June is around 4:40.

Sources

  1. GBIF occurrence search (birds, class Aves, 2010 onward)
  2. 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.