Birds of Caterham
What has actually been seen around Caterham: 126 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 126 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 7,178 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 140 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Caterham
126 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Caterham (Surrey) since 2010, across 7,178 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Swift and Magpie.
Caterham 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, Magpie, Carrion Crow and Robin make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
10 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Red Kite 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 April and are lowest in September — about 4.5 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.
Woldingham, 3 km to the east, has fewer species on record (111 against 126). Birds logged far more often around Caterham than there include Yellowhammer, Mute Swan, Tufted Duck and Little Grebe.
Daylight runs from 16 h 36 min at midsummer to 7 h 52 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:06 in mid-April and 4:43 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Caterham
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 388 |
| 2 | SwiftApus apus | 388 |
| 3 | MagpiePica pica | 368 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 332 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 295 |
| 6 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 251 |
| 7 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 234 |
| 8 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 232 |
| 9 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 227 |
| 10 | Great TitParus major | 190 |
| 11 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 187 |
| 12 | Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri | 167 |
| 13 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 163 |
| 14 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 150 |
| 15 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 146 |
| 16 | JayGarrulus glandarius | 136 |
| 17 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 128 |
| 18 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 122 |
| 19 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 107 |
| 20 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 103 |
Records by month
What to put out in Caterham
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Surrey
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 Caterham?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Caterham are Woodpigeon, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Robin and Blackbird, based on 7,178 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Caterham?
126 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Caterham?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:43.
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.