Birds of Rusper
What has actually been seen around Rusper: 121 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 121 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 8,312 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 124 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Rusper
121 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Rusper (West Sussex) since 2010, across 8,312 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Robin and Blue Tit.
Rusper 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, Robin, Blue Tit and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
9 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Eurasian Sparrowhawk 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 August — about 5.2 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.
Capel, 4 km to the north-west, has more species on record (137 against 121). Birds logged far more often around Rusper than there include Starling, Egyptian Goose, Black-headed Gull and Little Egret.
Daylight runs from 16 h 34 min at midsummer to 7 h 54 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:08 in mid-April and 4:45 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Rusper
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 490 |
| 2 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 443 |
| 3 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 434 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 416 |
| 5 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 408 |
| 6 | MagpiePica pica | 388 |
| 7 | Great TitParus major | 305 |
| 8 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 257 |
| 9 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 237 |
| 10 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 229 |
| 11 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 220 |
| 12 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 213 |
| 13 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 172 |
| 14 | Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major | 153 |
| 15 | Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatus | 151 |
| 16 | DunnockPrunella modularis | 148 |
| 17 | Common BuzzardButeo buteo | 146 |
| 18 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 140 |
| 19 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 137 |
| 20 | Song ThrushTurdus philomelos | 135 |
Records by month
What to put out in Rusper
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 Rusper?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Rusper are Woodpigeon, Robin, Blue Tit, Carrion Crow and Blackbird, based on 8,312 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Rusper?
121 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Rusper?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in August. 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.