Birds of Earlston
What has actually been seen around Earlston: 84 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 84 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 766 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- June
- Elevation
- 108 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.5 h / 7 h
What the records say about Earlston
84 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Earlston (The Scottish Borders) since 2010, across 766 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow and Common Buzzard.
Earlston is a garden-bird place: 78% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit and Blackbird make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
7 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk and Tawny Owl. 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 June and are lowest in February — about 36.8 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.
Melrose, 5 km to the south-west, has more species on record (107 against 84).
Daylight runs from 17 h 32 min at midsummer to 7 h 2 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:08 in mid-April and 4:26 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Earlston
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 38 |
| 2 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 35 |
| 3 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 33 |
| 4 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 30 |
| 5 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 28 |
| 6 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 27 |
| 7 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 27 |
| 8 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 26 |
| 9 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 22 |
| 10 | Barn SwallowHirundo rustica | 21 |
| 11 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 20 |
| 12 | Great TitParus major | 20 |
| 13 | NuthatchSitta europaea | 19 |
| 14 | SwiftApus apus | 19 |
| 15 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 19 |
| 16 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 17 |
| 17 | Gray HeronArdea cinerea | 16 |
| 18 | House MartinDelichon urbicum | 15 |
| 19 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 15 |
| 20 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 13 |
Records by month
What to put out in Earlston
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for The Scottish Borders
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 Earlston?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Earlston are Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Blackbird and Robin, based on 766 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Earlston?
84 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Earlston?
Observation records peak in June and are lowest in February. 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.