Birds of Hawick
What has actually been seen around Hawick: 102 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 102 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 3,124 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Carrion Crow
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 116 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.5 h / 7.1 h
What the records say about Hawick
102 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Hawick (The Scottish Borders) since 2010, across 3,124 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon and Blackbird.
Hawick 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. Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Robin 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 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 August — about 6.3 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.
Denholm, 8 km to the north-east, has a similar number of species on record (99 against 102). Birds logged far more often around Hawick than there include White-throated Dipper, Rock Pigeon and Lesser Black-backed Gull.
Daylight runs from 17 h 29 min at midsummer to 7 h 5 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:09 in mid-April and 4:28 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Hawick
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 148 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 145 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 138 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 131 |
| 5 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 129 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 114 |
| 7 | NuthatchSitta europaea | 107 |
| 8 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 102 |
| 9 | Great TitParus major | 95 |
| 10 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 94 |
| 11 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 86 |
| 12 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 85 |
| 13 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 77 |
| 14 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 76 |
| 15 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 71 |
| 16 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 57 |
| 17 | Common MerganserMergus merganser | 57 |
| 18 | White-throated DipperCinclus cinclus | 55 |
| 19 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 53 |
| 20 | Gray HeronArdea cinerea | 49 |
Records by month
What to put out in Hawick
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 Hawick?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Hawick are Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin and Chaffinch, based on 3,124 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Hawick?
102 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Hawick?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in August. Sunrise in late June is around 4:28.
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.