Birds of Saint Boswells
What has actually been seen around Saint Boswells: 119 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 119 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 2,597 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Mallard
- Busiest month
- June
- Elevation
- 96 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.5 h / 7 h
What the records say about Saint Boswells
119 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Saint Boswells (The Scottish Borders) since 2010, across 2,597 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Mallard, Mute Swan and Common Buzzard.
Saint Boswells is a garden-bird place: 60% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Robin and Chaffinch make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
10 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Common Kestrel 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 7.3 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.
Melrose, 6 km to the north-west, has fewer species on record (107 against 119). Birds logged far more often around Saint Boswells than there include Mute Swan, Little Grebe, Common Moorhen and Canada Goose.
Daylight runs from 17 h 31 min at midsummer to 7 h 3 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 Saint Boswells
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 132 |
| 2 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 106 |
| 3 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 95 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 77 |
| 5 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 75 |
| 6 | Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis | 72 |
| 7 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 68 |
| 8 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 68 |
| 9 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 65 |
| 10 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 65 |
| 11 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 63 |
| 12 | Great TitParus major | 58 |
| 13 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 57 |
| 14 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 55 |
| 15 | Gray HeronArdea cinerea | 55 |
| 16 | Barn SwallowHirundo rustica | 53 |
| 17 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 50 |
| 18 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 48 |
| 19 | Eurasian TealAnas crecca | 48 |
| 20 | Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus | 44 |
Records by month
What to put out in Saint Boswells
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 Saint Boswells?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Saint Boswells are Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, Robin, Chaffinch and Blue Tit, based on 2,597 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Saint Boswells?
119 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Saint Boswells?
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.