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Suffolk · 52.25°N

Birds of Bury St Edmunds

What has actually been seen around Bury St Edmunds: 151 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record
151 within 5 km
Observation records
28,963 since 2010
Most recorded bird
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Busiest month
August
Elevation
52 m
Daylight, June / December
16.8 h / 7.7 h

What the records say about Bury St Edmunds

151 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Bury St Edmunds (Suffolk) since 2010, across 28,963 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Lesser Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon and Blackbird.

Water shapes this list. 41% of records near Bury St Edmunds are ducks, geese, gulls, waders, herons and other waterbirds — Lesser Black-backed Gull, Black-headed Gull and European Herring Gull lead them — which points to coast, estuary, river or open water within range. Woodpigeon is still the most logged garden bird.

12 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 August and are lowest in March — about 3.2 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.

Horringer, 4 km to the south-west, has fewer species on record (128 against 151). Birds logged far more often around Bury St Edmunds than there include Common Shelduck and Little Grebe.

Daylight runs from 16 h 47 min at midsummer to 7 h 42 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:01 in mid-April and 4:34 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near Bury St Edmunds

#BirdRecords
1Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus8,708
2WoodpigeonColumba palumbus1,074
3BlackbirdTurdus merula987
4JackdawColoeus monedula933
5RobinErithacus rubecula912
6Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus885
7Carrion CrowCorvus corone874
8MagpiePica pica719
9House SparrowPasser domesticus709
10GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis684
11Great TitParus major679
12Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto670
13WrenTroglodytes troglodytes586
14Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus553
15RookCorvus frugilegus506
16DunnockPrunella modularis484
17Rock PigeonColumba livia466
18European Herring GullLarus argentatus423
19MallardAnas platyrhynchos409
20SwiftApus apus357

Records by month

What to put out in Bury St Edmunds

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 Bury St Edmunds?

The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Bury St Edmunds are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Robin and Blue Tit, based on 28,963 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Bury St Edmunds?

151 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).

When is the best month for birds in Bury St Edmunds?

Observation records peak in August and are lowest in March. Sunrise in late June is around 4:34.

Sources

  1. GBIF occurrence search (birds, class Aves, 2010 onward)
  2. 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.