Birds of East Wittering
What has actually been seen around East Wittering: 216 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 216 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 40,026 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Black-headed Gull
- Busiest month
- September
- Elevation
- 3 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.5 h / 8 h
What the records say about East Wittering
216 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of East Wittering (West Sussex) since 2010, across 40,026 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Black-headed Gull, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow.
Water shapes this list. 52% of records near East Wittering are ducks, geese, gulls, waders, herons and other waterbirds — Black-headed Gull, European Herring Gull and Eurasian Oystercatcher lead them — which points to coast, estuary, river or open water within range. Woodpigeon is still the most logged garden bird.
15 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Kestrel and Common Buzzard.
Records peak in September and are lowest in February — about 2.1 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.
Birdham, 4 km to the north-east, has more species on record (231 against 216). Birds logged far more often around East Wittering than there include Sandwich Tern.
Daylight runs from 16 h 30 min at midsummer to 7 h 57 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:11 in mid-April and 4:49 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near East Wittering
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 1,221 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,096 |
| 3 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 1,076 |
| 4 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 1,049 |
| 5 | Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegus | 926 |
| 6 | Little EgretEgretta garzetta | 922 |
| 7 | Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo | 913 |
| 8 | MagpiePica pica | 836 |
| 9 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 789 |
| 10 | Common LinnetLinaria cannabina | 731 |
| 11 | Mediterranean GullIchthyaetus melanocephalus | 703 |
| 12 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 699 |
| 13 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 652 |
| 14 | Northern LapwingVanellus vanellus | 638 |
| 15 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 637 |
| 16 | Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna | 635 |
| 17 | Common RedshankTringa totanus | 617 |
| 18 | Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensis | 613 |
| 19 | Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquata | 599 |
| 20 | Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus | 596 |
Records by month
What to put out in East Wittering
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 East Wittering?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of East Wittering are Woodpigeon, Carrion Crow, Magpie, Starling and Common Linnet, based on 40,026 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near East Wittering?
216 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 Wittering?
Observation records peak in September and are lowest in February. Sunrise in late June is around 4:49.
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.