Birds of Guildford
What has actually been seen around Guildford: 168 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 168 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 94,863 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 46 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Guildford
168 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Guildford (Surrey) since 2010, across 94,863 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Magpie and Robin.
Guildford is a garden-bird place: 71% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Magpie, Robin and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
14 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel and Red Kite.
Records peak in April and are lowest in September — about 3.3 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.
Burpham, 4 km to the north-east, has a similar number of species on record (172 against 168). Birds logged far more often around Guildford than there include Cetti's Warbler and Water Rail.
Daylight runs from 16 h 36 min at midsummer to 7 h 52 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:08 in mid-April and 4:45 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Guildford
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 3,649 |
| 2 | MagpiePica pica | 3,367 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 3,260 |
| 4 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 3,222 |
| 5 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 3,196 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 3,083 |
| 7 | Great TitParus major | 2,785 |
| 8 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 2,603 |
| 9 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 2,482 |
| 10 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 2,404 |
| 11 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 2,200 |
| 12 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 2,080 |
| 13 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 1,992 |
| 14 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 1,943 |
| 15 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 1,929 |
| 16 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 1,827 |
| 17 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 1,805 |
| 18 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 1,721 |
| 19 | Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major | 1,642 |
| 20 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 1,501 |
Records by month
What to put out in Guildford
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 Guildford?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Guildford are Woodpigeon, Magpie, Robin, Blue Tit and Blackbird, based on 94,863 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Guildford?
168 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Guildford?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:45.
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.