Birds of Peebles
What has actually been seen around Peebles: 97 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 97 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 2,447 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 170 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.5 h / 7 h
What the records say about Peebles
97 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Peebles (The Scottish Borders) since 2010, across 2,447 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Robin and Chaffinch.
Peebles is a garden-bird place: 76% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Robin, Chaffinch and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
7 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 April and are lowest in December — about 6.1 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.
Cardrona Mains, 6 km to the east, has a similar number of species on record (101 against 97).
Daylight runs from 17 h 32 min at midsummer to 7 h 2 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:10 in mid-April and 4:27 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Peebles
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 121 |
| 2 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 99 |
| 3 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 99 |
| 4 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 94 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 89 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 86 |
| 7 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 81 |
| 8 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 77 |
| 9 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 77 |
| 10 | Great TitParus major | 77 |
| 11 | Gray HeronArdea cinerea | 74 |
| 12 | Common MerganserMergus merganser | 73 |
| 13 | NuthatchSitta europaea | 59 |
| 14 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 59 |
| 15 | White-throated DipperCinclus cinclus | 55 |
| 16 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 55 |
| 17 | SwiftApus apus | 52 |
| 18 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 52 |
| 19 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 47 |
| 20 | GoldcrestRegulus regulus | 44 |
Records by month
What to put out in Peebles
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 Peebles?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Peebles are Woodpigeon, Robin, Chaffinch, Blue Tit and Carrion Crow, based on 2,447 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Peebles?
97 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Peebles?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in December. Sunrise in late June is around 4:27.
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.