Birds of Beccles
What has actually been seen around Beccles: 170 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 170 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 10,194 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 12 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Beccles
170 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Beccles (Suffolk) since 2010, across 10,194 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Lesser Black-backed Gull, Common Buzzard and Woodpigeon.
The records split between garden birds (59%) and waterbirds (22%), so a feeder in Beccles sees the familiar Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Robin, while Lesser Black-backed Gull and others turn up on nearby water.
14 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Barn Owl and Eurasian Marsh-Harrier. 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 October — about 4.5 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.
Barnby, 5 km to the east, has more species on record (224 against 170). Birds logged far more often around Beccles than there include Red-legged Partridge, Marsh Tit and Yellowhammer.
Daylight runs from 16 h 50 min at midsummer to 7 h 40 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 5:58 in mid-April and 4:30 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Beccles
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 542 |
| 2 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 309 |
| 3 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 307 |
| 4 | Barn OwlTyto alba | 302 |
| 5 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 283 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 264 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 259 |
| 8 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 259 |
| 9 | Eurasian Marsh-HarrierCircus aeruginosus | 230 |
| 10 | SwiftApus apus | 227 |
| 11 | Great TitParus major | 207 |
| 12 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 200 |
| 13 | Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus | 200 |
| 14 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 194 |
| 15 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 179 |
| 16 | MagpiePica pica | 174 |
| 17 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 173 |
| 18 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 170 |
| 19 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 165 |
| 20 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 164 |
Records by month
What to put out in Beccles
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Suffolk
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 Beccles?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Beccles are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin, Blue Tit and Jackdaw, based on 10,194 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Beccles?
170 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Beccles?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in October. 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.