Birds of Chirk

102 bird species have been recorded within 5 km of the centre of Chirk (Wrexham) since 2010, across 6,159 public observation records shared through GBIF. The most recorded are Woodpigeon, Jackdaw and Blackbird.

Chirk is a garden-bird place: 79% of the records here are small songbirds, doves, woodpeckers and the other birds that come to feeders and garden trees. Woodpigeon, Jackdaw, Blackbird and Carrion Crow make up the core of what you can expect at a feeder.

10 birds of prey are on record nearby, including Common Buzzard, Red Kite 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 November — about 37.4 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.

Gobowen, 5 km to the south, has a similar number of species on record (106 against 102). Birds logged far more often around Chirk than there include Common Raven and Stock Dove.

Daylight runs from 16 h 55 min at midsummer to 7 h 35 min at midwinter here. Sunrise is about 6:15 in mid-April and 4:45 in late June; the dawn chorus starts 30–60 minutes earlier.

Foods for the most recorded garden birds here, from our species notes.

• Woodpigeon

  Seed mix

• Jackdaw

  Suet · Kitchen scraps

• Blackbird

  Soaked sultanas · Apples · Mealworms

• Robin

  Mealworms · Suet pellets · Sunflower hearts

• Blue Tit

  Sunflower hearts · Peanuts (mesh feeder only) · Suet

• House Sparrow

  Seed mix · Sunflower hearts · Suet

• Gobowen5 km south · 106 species
• Whittington8 km south-east · 119 species
• Rhosllannerchrugog8 km north · 153 species
• Oswestry8 km south · 107 species
• Llangollen8 km north-west · 144 species
• Overton9 km east · 111 species