Birds of Handcross
What has actually been seen around Handcross: 122 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 122 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 8,096 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Blue Tit
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 152 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Handcross
122 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Handcross (West Sussex) since 2010, across 8,096 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Blue Tit, Robin and Woodpigeon.
Handcross is a garden-bird place: 78% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Blue Tit, Robin, Woodpigeon and Blackbird make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
11 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Red Kite and Common Kestrel.
Records peak in May and are lowest in September — about 7.2 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.
Balcombe, 5 km to the east, has more species on record (135 against 122). Birds logged far more often around Handcross than there include Rosy Starling.
Daylight runs from 16 h 34 min at midsummer to 7 h 54 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:07 in mid-April and 4:45 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Handcross
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 439 |
| 2 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 437 |
| 3 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 432 |
| 4 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 385 |
| 5 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 354 |
| 6 | Great TitParus major | 273 |
| 7 | MagpiePica pica | 271 |
| 8 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 226 |
| 9 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 210 |
| 10 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 209 |
| 11 | Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major | 203 |
| 12 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 188 |
| 13 | NuthatchSitta europaea | 183 |
| 14 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 179 |
| 15 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 178 |
| 16 | Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus | 169 |
| 17 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 163 |
| 18 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 156 |
| 19 | GoldcrestRegulus regulus | 148 |
| 20 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 147 |
Records by month
What to put out in Handcross
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 Handcross?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Handcross are Blue Tit, Robin, Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Carrion Crow, based on 8,096 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Handcross?
122 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Handcross?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in September. Sunrise in late June is around 4:45.
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.