Birds of Leiston
What has actually been seen around Leiston: 308 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 308 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 115,827 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Black-headed Gull
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 15 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Leiston
308 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Leiston (Suffolk) since 2010, across 115,827 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Black-headed Gull, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow.
Water shapes this list. 49% of records near Leiston are ducks, geese, gulls, waders, herons and other waterbirds — Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull and Great Cormorant lead them — which points to coast, estuary, river or open water within range. Woodpigeon is still the most logged garden bird.
23 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Eurasian Marsh-Harrier, Common Kestrel and Common Buzzard.
Records peak in May and are lowest in November — about 2.6 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.
Aldeburgh, 6 km to the south, has fewer species on record (282 against 308). Birds logged far more often around Leiston than there include Eurasian Bittern.
Daylight runs from 16 h 47 min at midsummer to 7 h 43 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 5:58 in mid-April and 4:31 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Leiston
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 2,347 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 2,303 |
| 3 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 2,183 |
| 4 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 2,179 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 2,002 |
| 6 | Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo | 1,995 |
| 7 | MagpiePica pica | 1,898 |
| 8 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 1,847 |
| 9 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 1,752 |
| 10 | Eurasian Marsh-HarrierCircus aeruginosus | 1,711 |
| 11 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 1,691 |
| 12 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 1,680 |
| 13 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 1,597 |
| 14 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 1,589 |
| 15 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 1,560 |
| 16 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 1,540 |
| 17 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 1,516 |
| 18 | Little EgretEgretta garzetta | 1,495 |
| 19 | Eurasian TealAnas crecca | 1,416 |
| 20 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 1,396 |
Records by month
What to put out in Leiston
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 Leiston?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Leiston are Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Robin, Magpie and Blue Tit, based on 115,827 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Leiston?
308 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Leiston?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:31.
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.