Birds of Leatherhead
What has actually been seen around Leatherhead: 137 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 137 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 49,603 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 41 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Leatherhead
137 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Leatherhead (Surrey) since 2010, across 49,603 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit and Magpie.
Leatherhead is a garden-bird place: 82% 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.
11 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 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.
Great Bookham, 3 km to the south-west, has a similar number of species on record (134 against 137).
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 Leatherhead
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 3,268 |
| 2 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 3,124 |
| 3 | MagpiePica pica | 3,120 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 3,035 |
| 5 | Great TitParus major | 2,530 |
| 6 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 2,441 |
| 7 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 2,410 |
| 8 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 2,115 |
| 9 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 1,837 |
| 10 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 1,644 |
| 11 | Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri | 1,576 |
| 12 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 1,440 |
| 13 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 1,074 |
| 14 | Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major | 989 |
| 15 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 983 |
| 16 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 810 |
| 17 | BlackcapSylvia atricapilla | 771 |
| 18 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 743 |
| 19 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 734 |
| 20 | JayGarrulus glandarius | 706 |
Records by month
What to put out in Leatherhead
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 Leatherhead?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Leatherhead are Woodpigeon, Blue Tit, Magpie, Robin and Great Tit, based on 49,603 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Leatherhead?
137 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Leatherhead?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in November. 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.