Birds of East Calder
What has actually been seen around East Calder: 115 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 115 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 3,955 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- April
- Elevation
- 125 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 17.6 h / 7 h
What the records say about East Calder
115 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of East Calder (West Lothian) since 2010, across 3,955 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Magpie and Blackbird.
East Calder is a garden-bird place: 77% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Magpie, Blackbird and Blue Tit make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
11 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 2.4 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.
Livingston, 4 km to the west, has a similar number of species on record (118 against 115). Birds logged far more often around East Calder than there include Northern Lapwing.
Daylight runs from 17 h 36 min at midsummer to 6 h 59 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 East Calder
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 236 |
| 2 | MagpiePica pica | 194 |
| 3 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 167 |
| 4 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 166 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 163 |
| 6 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 143 |
| 7 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 139 |
| 8 | Great TitParus major | 125 |
| 9 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 116 |
| 10 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 112 |
| 11 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 111 |
| 12 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 110 |
| 13 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 109 |
| 14 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 106 |
| 15 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 104 |
| 16 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 102 |
| 17 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 102 |
| 18 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 88 |
| 19 | Coal TitPeriparus ater | 80 |
| 20 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 78 |
Records by month
What to put out in East Calder
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 East Calder?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of East Calder are Woodpigeon, Magpie, Blackbird, Blue Tit and Robin, based on 3,955 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near East Calder?
115 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in East Calder?
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.