Birds of Highley
What has actually been seen around Highley: 167 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 167 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 13,405 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Blackbird
- Busiest month
- November
- Elevation
- 108 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Highley
167 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Highley (Shropshire) since 2010, across 13,405 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Blackbird, Woodpigeon and Robin.
Highley 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. Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Robin and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
12 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel.
Records peak in November and are lowest in September — about 3.6 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.
Bewdley, 9 km to the south-east, has a similar number of species on record (169 against 167). Birds logged far more often around Highley than there include Graylag Goose, Eurasian Coot, Great Crested Grebe and Tufted Duck.
Daylight runs from 16 h 49 min at midsummer to 7 h 40 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:13 in mid-April and 4:46 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Highley
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 417 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 394 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 377 |
| 4 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 369 |
| 5 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 338 |
| 6 | Great TitParus major | 337 |
| 7 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 323 |
| 8 | MagpiePica pica | 314 |
| 9 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 306 |
| 10 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 304 |
| 11 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 280 |
| 12 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 280 |
| 13 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 273 |
| 14 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 269 |
| 15 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 265 |
| 16 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 252 |
| 17 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 232 |
| 18 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 223 |
| 19 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 218 |
| 20 | Graylag GooseAnser anser | 214 |
Records by month
What to put out in Highley
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Shropshire
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 Highley?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Highley are Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Robin, Blue Tit and Great Tit, based on 13,405 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Highley?
167 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Highley?
Observation records peak in November and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:46.
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.