Birds of Leek
What has actually been seen around Leek: 162 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 162 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 17,263 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Robin
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 197 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17 h / 7.5 h
What the records say about Leek
162 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Leek (Staffordshire) since 2010, across 17,263 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Robin, Blackbird and Blue Tit.
Leek is a garden-bird place: 68% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Robin, Blackbird, Blue Tit and Woodpigeon make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
13 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel 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 November — 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.
Cheddleton, 4 km to the south, has fewer species on record (133 against 162). Birds logged far more often around Leek than there include Great Cormorant, Great Crested Grebe, Northern Lapwing and Eurasian Oystercatcher.
Daylight runs from 16 h 57 min at midsummer to 7 h 33 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:11 in mid-April and 4:40 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Leek
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 626 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 593 |
| 3 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 592 |
| 4 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 590 |
| 5 | Great TitParus major | 538 |
| 6 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 504 |
| 7 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 481 |
| 8 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 456 |
| 9 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 404 |
| 10 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 400 |
| 11 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 395 |
| 12 | MagpiePica pica | 388 |
| 13 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 378 |
| 14 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 365 |
| 15 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 355 |
| 16 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 345 |
| 17 | Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo | 344 |
| 18 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 335 |
| 19 | NuthatchSitta europaea | 333 |
| 20 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 331 |
Records by month
What to put out in Leek
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Staffordshire
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 Leek?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Leek are Robin, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Woodpigeon and Great Tit, based on 17,263 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Leek?
162 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Leek?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:40.
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.