Perch Supply
Suffolk · 52.42°N

Birds of Kessingland

What has actually been seen around Kessingland: 258 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.

Species on record
258 within 5 km
Observation records
47,374 since 2010
Most recorded bird
Woodpigeon
Busiest month
October
Elevation
21 m
Daylight, June / December
16.8 h / 7.7 h

What the records say about Kessingland

258 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Kessingland (Suffolk) since 2010, across 47,374 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, European Herring Gull and Blackbird.

Water shapes this list. 40% of records near Kessingland are ducks, geese, gulls, waders, herons and other waterbirds — European Herring Gull, Lesser Black-backed Gull and Northern Gannet lead them — which points to coast, estuary, river or open water within range. Woodpigeon is still the most logged garden bird.

17 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Kestrel, Common Buzzard 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 October and are lowest in December — about 2.4 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.

Wrentham, 5 km to the south-west, has a similar number of species on record (261 against 258). Birds logged far more often around Kessingland than there include Northern Gannet, Red-throated Diver, Black-legged Kittiwake and Common Scoter.

Daylight runs from 16 h 49 min at midsummer to 7 h 40 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 5:57 in mid-April and 4:29 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Most recorded birds near Kessingland

#BirdRecords
1WoodpigeonColumba palumbus2,527
2European Herring GullLarus argentatus2,215
3BlackbirdTurdus merula1,910
4Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus1,680
5StarlingSturnus vulgaris1,511
6RobinErithacus rubecula1,339
7House SparrowPasser domesticus1,336
8Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus1,313
9Northern GannetMorus bassanus1,308
10Carrion CrowCorvus corone1,232
11Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus1,178
12DunnockPrunella modularis1,119
13MagpiePica pica1,083
14Red-throated DiverGavia stellata1,034
15Rock PigeonColumba livia1,007
16Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto952
17Black-legged KittiwakeRissa tridactyla894
18GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis859
19Common ScoterMelanitta nigra754
20Pied WagtailMotacilla alba742

Records by month

What to put out in Kessingland

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 Kessingland?

The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Kessingland are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Starling, Robin and House Sparrow, based on 47,374 public records since 2010.

How many bird species have been seen near Kessingland?

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

When is the best month for birds in Kessingland?

Observation records peak in October and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:29.

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.