Birds of Headley
What has actually been seen around Headley: 132 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 132 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 47,726 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 179 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Headley
132 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Headley (Surrey) since 2010, across 47,726 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit and Magpie.
Headley is a garden-bird place: 85% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Magpie 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, Common Kestrel and Red Kite. 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 1.6 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.
Tadworth, 3 km to the north-east, has more species on record (151 against 132). Birds logged far more often around Headley than there include Collared Dove, Little Egret, Mute Swan and Eurasian Coot.
Daylight runs from 16 h 36 min at midsummer to 7 h 52 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:07 in mid-April and 4:44 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Headley
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 3,420 |
| 2 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 3,340 |
| 3 | MagpiePica pica | 3,122 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 3,064 |
| 5 | Great TitParus major | 2,744 |
| 6 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 2,565 |
| 7 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 2,486 |
| 8 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 2,206 |
| 9 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 1,810 |
| 10 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 1,785 |
| 11 | Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri | 1,465 |
| 12 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 1,221 |
| 13 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 1,152 |
| 14 | Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major | 1,068 |
| 15 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 944 |
| 16 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 914 |
| 17 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 779 |
| 18 | BlackcapSylvia atricapilla | 714 |
| 19 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 710 |
| 20 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 695 |
Records by month
What to put out in Headley
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 Headley?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Headley are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Magpie, Robin and Great Tit, based on 47,726 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Headley?
132 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Headley?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:44.
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.