Birds of Bathgate
What has actually been seen around Bathgate: 112 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 112 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 6,468 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Magpie
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 141 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.6 h / 7 h
What the records say about Bathgate
112 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Bathgate (West Lothian) since 2010, across 6,468 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Magpie, Carrion Crow and Blue Tit.
Bathgate is a garden-bird place: 66% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Magpie, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit 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, 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 February — about 5.1 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.
Torphichen, 4 km to the north, has a similar number of species on record (113 against 112).
Daylight runs from 17 h 36 min at midsummer to 6 h 58 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:11 in mid-April and 4:27 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Bathgate
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | MagpiePica pica | 250 |
| 2 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 242 |
| 3 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 240 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 235 |
| 5 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 227 |
| 6 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 203 |
| 7 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 198 |
| 8 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 190 |
| 9 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 182 |
| 10 | Great TitParus major | 180 |
| 11 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 179 |
| 12 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 173 |
| 13 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 154 |
| 14 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 153 |
| 15 | Eurasian CootFulica atra | 146 |
| 16 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 143 |
| 17 | Mute SwanCygnus olor | 139 |
| 18 | Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus | 130 |
| 19 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 125 |
| 20 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 120 |
Records by month
What to put out in Bathgate
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for West Lothian
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 Bathgate?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Bathgate are Magpie, Carrion Crow, Blue Tit, Robin and Woodpigeon, based on 6,468 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Bathgate?
112 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Bathgate?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in February. 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.