Birds of Melrose
What has actually been seen around Melrose: 107 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 107 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 4,377 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Carrion Crow
- Busiest month
- June
- Elevation
- 97 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.5 h / 7 h
What the records say about Melrose
107 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Melrose (The Scottish Borders) since 2010, across 4,377 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon and Blackbird.
Melrose is a garden-bird place: 79% 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.
8 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard and Eurasian Sparrowhawk. 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 January — about 8.0 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.
Galashiels, 5 km to the west, has fewer species on record (101 against 107).
Daylight runs from 17 h 31 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 Melrose
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 197 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 182 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 176 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 175 |
| 5 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 166 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 156 |
| 7 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 150 |
| 8 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 134 |
| 9 | Great TitParus major | 118 |
| 10 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 118 |
| 11 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 111 |
| 12 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 103 |
| 13 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 101 |
| 14 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 99 |
| 15 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 90 |
| 16 | Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegus | 90 |
| 17 | SwiftApus apus | 89 |
| 18 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 88 |
| 19 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 86 |
| 20 | NuthatchSitta europaea | 82 |
Records by month
What to put out in Melrose
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 Melrose?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Melrose are Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin and Jackdaw, based on 4,377 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Melrose?
107 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Melrose?
Observation records peak in June and are lowest in January. 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.