Birds of Dickens Heath
What has actually been seen around Dickens Heath: 163 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 163 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 28,120 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 150 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Dickens Heath
163 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Dickens Heath (Solihull) since 2010, across 28,120 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Magpie and Robin.
Dickens Heath is a garden-bird place: 69% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Magpie, Robin and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
10 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard 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 May and are lowest in December — about 4.4 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.
Solihull, 5 km to the north-east, has fewer species on record (149 against 163). Birds logged far more often around Dickens Heath than there include Great Crested Grebe, Great Cormorant and Common Tern.
Daylight runs from 16 h 49 min at midsummer to 7 h 41 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:11 in mid-April and 4:44 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Dickens Heath
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,759 |
| 2 | MagpiePica pica | 1,508 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 1,433 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 1,419 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 1,259 |
| 6 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 1,184 |
| 7 | Great TitParus major | 943 |
| 8 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 850 |
| 9 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 847 |
| 10 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 846 |
| 11 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 835 |
| 12 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 811 |
| 13 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 720 |
| 14 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 709 |
| 15 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 656 |
| 16 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 625 |
| 17 | Eurasian CootFulica atra | 610 |
| 18 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 596 |
| 19 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 537 |
| 20 | Gray HeronArdea cinerea | 474 |
Records by month
What to put out in Dickens Heath
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Solihull
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 Dickens Heath?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Dickens Heath are Woodpigeon, Magpie, Robin, Carrion Crow and Blue Tit, based on 28,120 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Dickens Heath?
163 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Dickens Heath?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:44.
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.