Birds to See in Waterford in May
83 bird species on our list for Waterford are recorded regularly in May
Of these, the most often recorded are Blackbird, Hooded Crow, Jackdaw, Eurasian Wren and Rook. New this month: Barn Swallow, Eurasian Oystercatcher, House Martin and Meadow Pipit and 33 more.
On the move in May
GBIF · MayArriving
At their peak
From Waterford’s bird records, 2019–2024: arriving birds are regular this month but not last; leaving birds are regular this month but not next.
Other months
All 83 birds in May
83 birds
BlackbirdTurdus merulaResidentCommon24–25 cmRecorded all year · 3.90% in May
Hooded CrowCorvus cornixResidentCommon44–51 cmRecorded all year · 3.77% in May
JackdawColoeus monedulaResidentCommon34–39 cmRecorded all year · 3.56% in May
Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytesResidentCommon9–10 cmRecorded all year · 3.52% in May
RookCorvus frugilegusResidentCommon45–47 cmRecorded all year · 3.52% in May
Barn SwallowHirundo rusticaSummer visitorCommon17–19 cmRegularly May–Oct · 3.06% in May
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRecorded all year · 3.06% in May
European RobinErithacus rubeculaResidentCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year · 3.06% in May
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 3.02% in May
WoodpigeonColumba palumbusResidentCommon40–42 cmRecorded all year · 3.02% in May
European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelisSummer visitorCommon12–13 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 2.72% in May
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 2.51% in May
ChaffinchFringilla coelebsResidentCommon14–16 cmRecorded all year · 2.39% in May
Blue TitCyanistes caeruleusResidentCommon11–12 cmRecorded all year · 2.30% in May
DunnockPrunella modularisResidentCommon14–15 cmRecorded all year · 2.30% in May
Grey HeronArdea cinereaResidentCommon90–98 cmRecorded all year · 2.18% in May
MagpiePica picaResidentCommon44–46 cmRecorded all year · 2.05% in May
ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybitaSummer visitorCommon10–12 cmRegularly Mar–Oct · 1.97% in May
Pied WagtailMotacilla albaResidentCommon17–18 cmRecorded all year · 1.97% in May
Great TitParus majorWinter visitorCommonRegularly Aug–Jun · 1.72% in May
LinnetLinaria cannabinaSummer visitorCommon13–14 cmRegularly Mar–Dec · 1.59% in May
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentCommon80–100 cmRecorded all year · 1.55% in May
House MartinDelichon urbicumSummer visitorCommon13–15 cmRegularly May–Sep · 1.55% in May
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year · 1.42% in May
StonechatSaxicola rubicolaResidentCommon12–13 cmRecorded all year · 1.42% in May
Rock DoveColumba liviaSummer visitorCommon31–34 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 1.38% in May
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoResidentCommon30–32 cmRegularly Feb–Oct · 1.34% in May
Meadow PipitAnthus pratensisResidentCommon14–15 cmRegularly May–Mar · 1.34% in May
Song ThrushTurdus philomelosResidentCommon20–23 cmRegularly Oct–Aug · 1.30% in May
BlackcapSylvia atricapillaSummer visitorCommon13–15 cmRegularly Mar–Oct · 1.17% in May
Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusResidentCommon40–45 cmRegularly May–Mar · 1.13% in May
Little EgretEgretta garzettaResidentCommon55–65 cmRecorded all year · 1.09% in May
MallardAnas platyrhynchosSummer visitorCommon50–65 cmRegularly Jan–Oct · 1.09% in May
Sand MartinRiparia ripariaSummer visitorCommon12–14 cmRegularly May–Sep · 1.09% in May
BuzzardButeo buteoSummer visitorCommon51–57 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 1.01% in May
Common ShelduckTadorna tadornaSummer visitorCommon58–67 cmRegularly Nov–Jul · 0.96% in May
CuckooCuculus canorusPassage migrantCommon32–34 cmRegularly Apr–May · 0.96% in May
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaResidentCommon37–41 cmRegularly May–Aug · 0.92% in May
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusResidentCommon52–64 cmRecorded all year · 0.92% in May
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusPassage migrantCommon40–46 cmRegularly May–Sep · 0.92% in May
Northern GannetMorus bassanusPassage migrantCommon87–100 cmRegularly May–Oct · 0.84% in May
Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilusPassage migrantCommon11–13 cmRegularly May–Jun · 0.84% in May
Common RavenCorvus coraxSummer visitorCommon54–67 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.80% in May
GoldcrestRegulus regulusResidentCommon9–10 cmRecorded all year · 0.80% in May
Common PheasantPhasianus colchicusResidentCommon50–90 cmRegularly Apr–Oct · 0.71% in May
FulmarFulmarus glacialisPassage migrantCommon45–50 cmRegularly Mar–Sep · 0.71% in May
GreenfinchChloris chlorisResidentCommon15–16 cmRegularly Mar–Jun · 0.71% in May
Rock PipitAnthus petrosusWinter visitorCommon16–18 cmRegularly May–Mar · 0.71% in May
Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenusPassage migrantCommon12–13 cmRegularly May–Jun · 0.71% in May
WhitethroatCurruca communisPassage migrantCommon13–15 cmRegularly May · 0.71% in May
CurlewNumenius arquataResidentCommon50–60 cmRecorded all year · 0.67% in May
Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensisPassage migrantCommon16–18 cmRegularly May–Oct · 0.67% in May
Red-billed ChoughPyrrhocorax pyrrhocoraxSummer visitorCommon39–43 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.67% in May
Mute SwanCygnus olorSummer visitorCommon140–160 cmRegularly Feb–Oct · 0.54% in May
BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhulaSummer visitorCommon15–17 cmRegularly Jan–Oct · 0.50% in May
Grey WagtailMotacilla cinereaSummer visitorCommon17–20 cmRegularly Jan–Oct · 0.50% in May
Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorusResidentCommon26–29 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.50% in May
Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclusSummer visitorCommon14–16 cmRegularly May–Oct · 0.50% in May
Common SwiftApus apusSummer visitorCommon16–17 cmRegularly May–Jul · 0.46% in May
Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticulaPassage migrantCommon17–19 cmRegularly May–Jan · 0.42% in May
KestrelFalco tinnunculusSummer visitorCommon32–39 cmRegularly Mar–Dec · 0.38% in May
Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatusSummer visitorCommon13–16 cmRegularly Feb–Nov · 0.38% in May
MoorhenGallinula chloropusResidentCommon30–38 cmRegularly Mar–Oct · 0.38% in May
European ShagGulosus aristotelisSummer visitorCommon65–80 cmRegularly Mar–Oct · 0.34% in May
Manx ShearwaterPuffinus puffinusPassage migrantUncommon30–38 cmRegularly May–Jun · 0.34% in May
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year · 0.29% in May
Coal TitPeriparus aterSummer visitorCommon10–12 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 0.29% in May
Common GullLarus canusWinter visitorCommon40–46 cmRegularly Sep–Jun · 0.29% in May
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisSummer visitorCommon36–41 cmRegularly Apr–Sep · 0.29% in May
WheatearOenanthe oenantheSummer visitorCommon15–16 cmRegularly May–Oct · 0.25% in May
Stock DoveColumba oenasPassage migrantUncommon32–34 cmRegularly May · 0.21% in May
TreecreeperCerthia familiarisResidentCommon12–14 cmRegularly Dec–Jun · 0.21% in May
Eurasian WigeonMareca penelopePassage migrantCommon42–51 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · records held back in May (protected)
Common Reed-warblerAcrocephalus scirpaceusPassage migrantUncommon13–14 cmRegularly May · 0.17% in May
Hen HarrierCircus cyaneusPassage migrantCommon41–52 cmRegularly Apr–May · 0.17% in May
Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollisPassage migrantUncommon23–29 cmRegularly Oct–May · 0.17% in May
GadwallMareca streperaPassage migrantUncommon46–56 cmRegularly May · 0.13% in May
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusResidentUncommon34–58 cmRegularly May–Sep · 0.13% in May
RazorbillAlca tordaResidentUncommon38–43 cmRegularly May–Sep · 0.13% in May
SparrowhawkAccipiter nisusResidentUncommon28–38 cmRegularly May–Oct · 0.13% in May
Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striataPassage migrantCommon14–16 cmRegularly May–Sep · 0.13% in May
Water RailRallus aquaticusResidentUncommon23–28 cmRegularly May · 0.13% in May
Common SnipeGallinago gallinagoPassage migrantCommon25–27 cmRegularly Oct–Jul · records held back in May (protected)
Data: EOD – eBird Observation Dataset (Cornell Lab of Ornithology), accessed via GBIF.org, CC BY 4.0. Records from 2019–2024, aggregated and filtered by Birdfact. How these lists are made