Birds of Long Melford
What has actually been seen around Long Melford: 156 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 156 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 16,694 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- March
- Elevation
- 36 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Long Melford
156 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Long Melford (Suffolk) since 2010, across 16,694 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit and Robin.
Long Melford is a garden-bird place: 69% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Robin and Blackbird 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 March and are lowest in October — about 3.7 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.
Sudbury, 4 km to the south, has more species on record (162 against 156).
Daylight runs from 16 h 45 min at midsummer to 7 h 44 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:02 in mid-April and 4:35 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Long Melford
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 665 |
| 2 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 556 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 533 |
| 4 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 501 |
| 5 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 452 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 444 |
| 7 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 440 |
| 8 | MagpiePica pica | 433 |
| 9 | Great TitParus major | 429 |
| 10 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 418 |
| 11 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 412 |
| 12 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 400 |
| 13 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 388 |
| 14 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 345 |
| 15 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 337 |
| 16 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 318 |
| 17 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 308 |
| 18 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 306 |
| 19 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 294 |
| 20 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 285 |
Records by month
What to put out in Long Melford
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 Long Melford?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Long Melford are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Robin, Blackbird and Carrion Crow, based on 16,694 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Long Melford?
156 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Long Melford?
Observation records peak in March and are lowest in October. Sunrise in late June is around 4:35.
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.