Birds of Otley
What has actually been seen around Otley: 89 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 89 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 1,678 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 60 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Otley
89 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Otley (Suffolk) since 2010, across 1,678 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Lesser Black-backed Gull, Barn Owl and Blackbird.
Otley is a garden-bird place: 70% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
7 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Barn Owl, Common Buzzard and Common Kestrel. 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 November — about 30.8 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.
Grundisburgh, 5 km to the south, has more species on record (154 against 89). Birds logged far more often around Otley than there include Lesser Black-backed Gull and Barn Owl.
Daylight runs from 16 h 46 min at midsummer to 7 h 43 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:00 in mid-April and 4:33 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Otley
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 115 |
| 2 | Barn OwlTyto alba | 66 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 61 |
| 4 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 55 |
| 5 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 55 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 51 |
| 7 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 51 |
| 8 | SwiftApus apus | 50 |
| 9 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 48 |
| 10 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 47 |
| 11 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 44 |
| 12 | Stock DoveColumba oenas | 44 |
| 13 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 38 |
| 14 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 37 |
| 15 | Great TitParus major | 37 |
| 16 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 36 |
| 17 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 35 |
| 18 | Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus | 34 |
| 19 | MagpiePica pica | 32 |
| 20 | Barn SwallowHirundo rustica | 31 |
Records by month
What to put out in Otley
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 Otley?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Otley are Blackbird, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Blue Tit and Carrion Crow, based on 1,678 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Otley?
89 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Otley?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:33.
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.