Birds of Lanark
What has actually been seen around Lanark: 97 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 97 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 2,106 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 199 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.5 h / 7 h
What the records say about Lanark
97 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Lanark (South Lanarkshire) since 2010, across 2,106 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Jackdaw and Mallard.
Lanark is a garden-bird place: 74% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Blackbird and White-throated Dipper make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
9 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Peregrine Falcon 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 January — about 10.8 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.
Crossford, 6 km to the north-west, has fewer species on record (84 against 97). Birds logged far more often around Lanark than there include White-throated Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Gray Heron and Mute Swan.
Daylight runs from 17 h 32 min at midsummer to 7 h 1 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:12 in mid-April and 4:30 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Lanark
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 125 |
| 2 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 125 |
| 3 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 95 |
| 4 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 92 |
| 5 | White-throated DipperCinclus cinclus | 90 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 89 |
| 7 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 83 |
| 8 | Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea | 75 |
| 9 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 72 |
| 10 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 72 |
| 11 | Great TitParus major | 61 |
| 12 | Gray HeronArdea cinerea | 60 |
| 13 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 53 |
| 14 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 48 |
| 15 | Common MerganserMergus merganser | 47 |
| 16 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 43 |
| 17 | MagpiePica pica | 41 |
| 18 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 39 |
| 19 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 38 |
| 20 | Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major | 36 |
Records by month
What to put out in Lanark
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 Lanark?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Lanark are Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Blackbird, White-throated Dipper and Robin, based on 2,106 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Lanark?
97 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Lanark?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in January. 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.