Birds of Thurston
What has actually been seen around Thurston: 164 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 164 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 23,351 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Busiest month
- October
- Elevation
- 46 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.8 h / 7.7 h
What the records say about Thurston
164 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Thurston (Suffolk) since 2010, across 23,351 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Lesser Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon and Blackbird.
Water shapes this list. 66% of records near Thurston are ducks, geese, gulls, waders, herons and other waterbirds — Lesser Black-backed Gull, Northern Lapwing and Mallard lead them — which points to coast, estuary, river or open water within range. Woodpigeon is still the most logged garden bird.
14 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel and Red Kite.
Records peak in October and are lowest in December — about 3.9 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.
Great Barton, 4 km to the north-west, has more species on record (195 against 164). Birds logged far more often around Thurston than there include Eurasian Wigeon.
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 Thurston
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 10,824 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 525 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 336 |
| 4 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 297 |
| 5 | Northern LapwingVanellus vanellus | 289 |
| 6 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 289 |
| 7 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 283 |
| 8 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 278 |
| 9 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 275 |
| 10 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 274 |
| 11 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 271 |
| 12 | Graylag GooseAnser anser | 271 |
| 13 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 254 |
| 14 | GadwallMareca strepera | 236 |
| 15 | Eurasian TealAnas crecca | 224 |
| 16 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 223 |
| 17 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 211 |
| 18 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 210 |
| 19 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 201 |
| 20 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 189 |
Records by month
What to put out in Thurston
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 Thurston?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Thurston are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow and Jackdaw, based on 23,351 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Thurston?
164 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Thurston?
Observation records peak in October and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:34.
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.