Birds of Ardingly
What has actually been seen around Ardingly: 131 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 131 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 11,311 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 112 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Ardingly
131 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Ardingly (West Sussex) since 2010, across 11,311 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Robin.
Ardingly is a garden-bird place: 72% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
12 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Red Kite and Common Kestrel. 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 May and are lowest in October — about 4.3 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.
Horsted Keynes, 4 km to the east, has fewer species on record (118 against 131). Birds logged far more often around Ardingly than there include Great Crested Grebe, Egyptian Goose, Common Kingfisher and Tufted Duck.
Daylight runs from 16 h 33 min at midsummer to 7 h 54 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:07 in mid-April and 4:44 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Ardingly
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 596 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 566 |
| 3 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 563 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 504 |
| 5 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 475 |
| 6 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 435 |
| 7 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 413 |
| 8 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 404 |
| 9 | MagpiePica pica | 363 |
| 10 | Great TitParus major | 324 |
| 11 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 289 |
| 12 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 255 |
| 13 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 243 |
| 14 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 240 |
| 15 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 221 |
| 16 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 221 |
| 17 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 211 |
| 18 | Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus | 210 |
| 19 | NuthatchSitta europaea | 197 |
| 20 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 193 |
Records by month
What to put out in Ardingly
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
Seasonal bird notes for West Sussex
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 Ardingly?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Ardingly are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Robin, Carrion Crow and Blue Tit, based on 11,311 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Ardingly?
131 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Ardingly?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in October. Sunrise in late June is around 4:44.
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.