Birds of Sale
What has actually been seen around Sale: 184 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 184 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 323,034 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Magpie
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 30 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17 h / 7.5 h
What the records say about Sale
184 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Sale (Trafford) since 2010, across 323,034 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Magpie, Woodpigeon and Robin.
Sale is a garden-bird place: 70% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Magpie, Woodpigeon, Robin and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
15 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 April and are lowest in September — about 1.8 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.
Urmston, 3 km to the north-west, has a similar number of species on record (180 against 184).
Daylight runs from 17 h 1 min at midsummer to 7 h 29 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:11 in mid-April and 4:39 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Sale
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MagpiePica pica | 11,935 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 11,884 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 11,215 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 11,199 |
| 5 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 10,825 |
| 6 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 10,644 |
| 7 | Great TitParus major | 10,443 |
| 8 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 9,739 |
| 9 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 9,324 |
| 10 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 8,314 |
| 11 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 7,928 |
| 12 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 7,782 |
| 13 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 7,604 |
| 14 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 7,191 |
| 15 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 6,922 |
| 16 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 6,190 |
| 17 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 6,109 |
| 18 | Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri | 6,051 |
| 19 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 5,921 |
| 20 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 4,956 |
Records by month
What to put out in Sale
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for Trafford
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 Sale?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Sale are Magpie, Woodpigeon, Robin, Carrion Crow and Blackbird, based on 323,034 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Sale?
184 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Sale?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:39.
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.