Birds of Whitley
What has actually been seen around Whitley: 112 species, the most recorded garden birds, the busiest months, and what to put out for them.
- Species on record
- 112 within 5 km
- Observation records
- 4,918 since 2010
- Most recorded bird
- Woodpigeon
- Busiest month
- January
- Elevation
- 53 m
- Daylight, June / December
- 16.6 h / 7.8 h
What the records say about Whitley
112 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Whitley (Wiltshire) since 2010, across 4,918 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Blackbird and Jackdaw.
Whitley 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 Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.
7 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Red Kite, Common Buzzard and Eurasian Sparrowhawk. 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 January and are lowest in October — about 3.6 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.
Melksham, 3 km to the south-east, has fewer species on record (103 against 112). Birds logged far more often around Whitley than there include Canada Goose, Great Crested Grebe, Common Merganser and Common Gull.
Daylight runs from 16 h 37 min at midsummer to 7 h 51 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:15 in mid-April and 4:51 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.
Most recorded birds near Whitley
| # | Bird | Records |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | WoodpigeonColumba palumbus | 266 |
| 2 | BlackbirdTurdus merula | 228 |
| 3 | JackdawColoeus monedula | 218 |
| 4 | Carrion CrowCorvus corone | 214 |
| 5 | RobinErithacus rubecula | 208 |
| 6 | SwiftApus apus | 197 |
| 7 | Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus | 188 |
| 8 | MagpiePica pica | 176 |
| 9 | RookCorvus frugilegus | 155 |
| 10 | Great TitParus major | 139 |
| 11 | European Herring GullLarus argentatus | 133 |
| 12 | House SparrowPasser domesticus | 124 |
| 13 | MallardAnas platyrhynchos | 121 |
| 14 | Canada GooseBranta canadensis | 116 |
| 15 | GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis | 114 |
| 16 | Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus | 106 |
| 17 | WrenTroglodytes troglodytes | 103 |
| 18 | StarlingSturnus vulgaris | 93 |
| 19 | Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus | 84 |
| 20 | House MartinDelichon urbicum | 82 |
Records by month
What to put out in Whitley
Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.
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 Whitley?
The most recorded garden birds within 5 km of Whitley are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Jackdaw, Carrion Crow and Robin, based on 4,918 public records since 2010.
How many bird species have been seen near Whitley?
112 species have at least one record within 5 km of the town centre since 2010 (GBIF).
When is the best month for birds in Whitley?
Observation records peak in January and are lowest in October. 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.