Birds of Hightown
What has actually been seen around Hightown: 207 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 207 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 50,312 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 9 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17 h / 7.5 h
What the records say about Hightown
207 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Hightown (Sefton) since 2010, across 50,312 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Magpie and European Herring Gull.
Hightown 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, Magpie, Blackbird and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
15 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Eurasian Sparrowhawk, Common Kestrel and Common Buzzard. 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 December — 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.
Formby, 4 km to the north, has fewer species on record (184 against 207).
Daylight runs from 17 h 3 min at midsummer to 7 h 28 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:14 in mid-April and 4:42 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Hightown
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 2,217 |
| 2 | MagpiePica pica | 2,044 |
| 3 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 1,908 |
| 4 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 1,773 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 1,757 |
| 6 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 1,710 |
| 7 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 1,707 |
| 8 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 1,693 |
| 9 | Great TitParus major | 1,564 |
| 10 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 1,393 |
| 11 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 1,331 |
| 12 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 1,225 |
| 13 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 1,201 |
| 14 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 1,176 |
| 15 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 994 |
| 16 | GreenfinchChloris chloris | 964 |
| 17 | Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegus | 947 |
| 18 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 943 |
| 19 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 926 |
| 20 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 905 |
Records by month
What to put out in Hightown
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Sefton
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 Hightown?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Hightown are Woodpigeon, Magpie, Blackbird, Carrion Crow and Goldfinch, based on 50,312 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Hightown?
207 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Hightown?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:42.
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.