Birds of Blantyre
What has actually been seen around Blantyre: 121 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 121 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 5,870 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Magpie
- Busiest month
- January
- Elevation
- 68 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.6 h / 7 h
What the records say about Blantyre
121 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Blantyre (South Lanarkshire) since 2010, across 5,870 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Magpie, Carrion Crow and Woodpigeon.
Blantyre is a garden-bird place: 61% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Magpie, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon and Jackdaw make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
5 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Common Kestrel. 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 January and are lowest in May — about 4.8 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.
Cambuslang, 4 km to the west, has a similar number of species on record (121 against 121). Birds logged far more often around Blantyre than there include Common Gull, Common Goldeneye, Great Black-backed Gull and Ring-billed Gull.
Daylight runs from 17 h 34 min at midsummer to 6 h 60 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:13 in mid-April and 4:30 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Blantyre
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MagpiePica pica | 313 |
| 2 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 292 |
| 3 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 289 |
| 4 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 263 |
| 5 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 224 |
| 6 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 221 |
| 7 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 206 |
| 8 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 188 |
| 9 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 187 |
| 10 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 176 |
| 11 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 173 |
| 12 | Graylag GooseAnser anser | 173 |
| 13 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 156 |
| 14 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 137 |
| 15 | Great TitParus major | 134 |
| 16 | Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo | 133 |
| 17 | Common MerganserMergus merganser | 129 |
| 18 | Common GullLarus canus | 111 |
| 19 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 109 |
| 20 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 107 |
Records by month
What to put out in Blantyre
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for South Lanarkshire
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 Blantyre?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Blantyre are Magpie, Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw and Robin, based on 5,870 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Blantyre?
121 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Blantyre?
Observation records peak in January and are lowest in May. Sunrise in late June is around 4:30.
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.