Birds of Old Sarum
What has actually been seen around Old Sarum: 140 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 140 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 21,602 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Lesser Black-backed Gull
- Busiest month
- May
- Elevation
- 76 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.9 h
What the records say about Old Sarum
140 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Old Sarum (Wiltshire) since 2010, across 21,602 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Lesser Black-backed Gull, Woodpigeon and Swift.
Old Sarum is a garden-bird place: 70% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Jackdaw and Magpie make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
16 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Red Kite, Common Buzzard 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 January — about 6.0 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.
Salisbury, 4 km to the south, has a similar number of species on record (141 against 140).
Daylight runs from 16 h 34 min at midsummer to 7 h 54 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:14 in mid-April and 4:51 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Old Sarum
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 2,013 |
| 2 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 1,060 |
| 3 | SwiftApus apus | 916 |
| 4 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 872 |
| 5 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 795 |
| 6 | MagpiePica pica | 792 |
| 7 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 729 |
| 8 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 687 |
| 9 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 589 |
| 10 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 585 |
| 11 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 573 |
| 12 | Rock PigeonColumba livia | 553 |
| 13 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 514 |
| 14 | Great TitParus major | 486 |
| 15 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 468 |
| 16 | ChaffinchFringilla coelebs | 429 |
| 17 | ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita | 417 |
| 18 | Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto | 397 |
| 19 | Red KiteMilvus milvus | 382 |
| 20 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 381 |
Records by month
What to put out in Old Sarum
Seasonal bird notes for Wiltshire
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 Old Sarum?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Old Sarum are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Magpie and Robin, based on 21,602 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Old Sarum?
140 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Old Sarum?
Observation records peak in May and are lowest in January. Sunrise in late June is around 4:51.
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.