Birds of Blackburn
What has actually been seen around Blackburn: 111 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 111 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 7,372 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Blue Tit
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 160 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.6 h / 7 h
What the records say about Blackburn
111 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Blackburn (West Lothian) since 2010, across 7,372 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Blue Tit, Magpie and Carrion Crow.
Blackburn 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. Blue Tit, Magpie, Carrion Crow 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 November — about 3.7 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.
Seafield, 3 km to the north-east, has a similar number of species on record (114 against 111).
Daylight runs from 17 h 35 min at midsummer to 6 h 59 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:11 in mid-April and 4:28 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Blackburn
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 288 |
| 2 | MagpiePica pica | 287 |
| 3 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 277 |
| 4 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 269 |
| 5 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 254 |
| 6 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 253 |
| 7 | Great TitParus major | 237 |
| 8 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 219 |
| 9 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 206 |
| 10 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 203 |
| 11 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 201 |
| 12 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 194 |
| 13 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 192 |
| 14 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 164 |
| 15 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 151 |
| 16 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 150 |
| 17 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 147 |
| 18 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 144 |
| 19 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 142 |
| 20 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 139 |
Records by month
What to put out in Blackburn
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 Blackburn?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Blackburn are Blue Tit, Magpie, Carrion Crow, Robin and Blackbird, based on 7,372 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Blackburn?
111 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Blackburn?
Observation records peak in April and are lowest in November. Sunrise in late June is around 4:28.
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.