Birds of Washington
What has actually been seen around Washington: 207 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 207 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 46,049 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 59 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.4 h / 7.2 h
What the records say about Washington
207 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Washington (Sunderland) since 2010, across 46,049 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Magpie.
Washington is a garden-bird place: 62% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Magpie and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
18 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 May and are lowest in November — about 2.3 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.
Chester-le-Street, 6 km to the south-west, has fewer species on record (176 against 207). Birds logged far more often around Washington than there include Common Shelduck, Eurasian Coot, Eurasian Teal and Common Redshank.
Daylight runs from 17 h 21 min at midsummer to 7 h 11 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:05 in mid-April and 4:26 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Washington
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 2,991 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 2,389 |
| 3 | MagpiePica pica | 1,969 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 1,460 |
| 5 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 1,205 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 1,165 |
| 7 | Great TitParus major | 1,106 |
| 8 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 1,076 |
| 9 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 1,071 |
| 10 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 1,050 |
| 11 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 1,029 |
| 12 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 1,014 |
| 13 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 1,006 |
| 14 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 950 |
| 15 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 948 |
| 16 | BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula | 861 |
| 17 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 850 |
| 18 | Gray HeronArdea cinerea | 785 |
| 19 | Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna | 729 |
| 20 | Northern LapwingVanellus vanellus | 727 |
Records by month
What to put out in Washington
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Sunderland
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 Washington?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Washington are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Magpie, Robin and Chaffinch, based on 46,049 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Washington?
207 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Washington?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:26.
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.