Birds to See in Bristol in August
81 species matching this filter.
Bristol's diverse habitats, from the Severn Estuary mudflats to the wooded gorges and urban parks, support a rich variety of birdlife throughout August. With 81 species recorded this month, birders can enjoy summer visitors such as Common Reed-warbler, Garden Warbler and House Martin alongside resident favourites like Great Tit, Magpie and Little Grebe. August also marks the start of autumn passage, bringing waders like Common Sandpiper to the region's wetlands and reservoirs.
Resident
(62)
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
One of Bristol's most familiar residents, abundant in gardens, parks, and woodland year-round. Its melodious song is among the first heard at dawn.
Year-round
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
A common resident found year-round in gardens, parks, and woodlands. Winter numbers are boosted by Continental migrants visiting berry-laden hedgerows.
Year-round
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusLC
One of Bristol's most familiar garden birds, present year-round. A regular visitor to feeders and nest boxes across the city.
Year-round
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
An uncommon but year-round resident of hedgerows and woodland edges. Its soft, piping call carries through Bristol's green corridors.
Year-round
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
An uncommon but year-round resident, frequently seen soaring over farmland and green spaces on the city's edges.
Year-round
Canada Goose
Branta canadensisLC
An uncommon year-round resident, grazing on playing fields and park lakes across the Bristol area.
Year-round
Carrion Crow
Corvus coroneLC
A familiar common resident found in every habitat from city parks to farmland. Often seen foraging boldly on lawns and streets.
Year-round
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
An uncommon but widespread resident of woodland, hedgerows, and gardens. Its ringing song is a familiar sound in Bristol's parks year-round.
Year-round
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
A common resident heard year-round in parks and woodlands. Its repetitive two-note song is one of the earliest signs of spring.
Year-round
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
A common resident visiting garden feeders year-round. Favours coniferous and mixed woodland but adapts well to parks.
Year-round
Common Kingfisher
Alcedo atthisLC
Found year-round along the River Avon and its tributaries. A flash of electric blue is often the first sign of its presence.
Year-round
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
A rare resident on the rural fringes of Bristol, found in farmland hedgerows and woodland edges.
Jul–May
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
Increasingly seen over Bristol, its deep cronking call and diamond-shaped tail distinguish it from crows. Breeds on the Avon Gorge cliffs.
Year-round
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
A rare resident along Bristol's rivers and reservoirs, bobbing its tail on rocky margins. Absent in June, likely dispersing to breed.
Jul–May
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
An uncommon resident, favouring the Severn Estuary mudflats and tidal stretches of the Avon throughout the year.
Year-round
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
A common resident, famous for spectacular winter murmurations over the city centre. Numbers are declining nationally despite local abundance.
Year-round
Coot
Fulica atraLC
An uncommon year-round resident on lakes and reservoirs, including Chew Valley Lake and urban park ponds.
Year-round
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
An uncommon year-round presence, most often seen on the Severn Estuary with its evocative bubbling call.
Year-round
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Found on the Severn Estuary's mudflats in winter and passage periods. Scarce but regular, often in small flocks with other waders.
Jul–Apr
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
A common and unobtrusive resident of hedgerows and garden shrubberies. Often shuffles quietly beneath feeders across Bristol.
Year-round
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
An uncommon resident in suburban gardens and allotments, its monotonous cooing a familiar sound year-round.
Year-round
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
A common resident of woodlands and mature gardens. Often seen burying acorns in autumn across Bristol's parks and green corridors.
Year-round
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaeaLC
An uncommon resident of mature deciduous woodland and large gardens. Climbs headfirst down tree trunks in Bristol's parks.
Year-round
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
An uncommon resident, found along the Severn Estuary shores year-round. Its piping call is a familiar coastal sound.
Year-round
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
One of Bristol's most common residents, found in virtually every garden and hedgerow. Its loud, explosive song belies its tiny size.
Year-round
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
A common and colourful resident, often seen in chattering flocks on teasel and thistle heads in parks, allotments, and waste ground.
Year-round
European Green Woodpecker
Picus viridisLC
Resident in parkland and woodland edges, often feeding on ants in short grass. Its laughing call echoes across Bristol's valleys.
Year-round
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
A common resident nesting on rooftops across the city. Noisy and conspicuous, especially around the harbourside and parks.
Year-round
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
A beloved and common resident of gardens, parks, and woodlands throughout Bristol. Sings year-round, even under streetlights.
Year-round
Gadwall
Mareca streperaLC
A scarce year-round resident, occasionally found on quieter lakes and reservoirs such as Chew Valley and Blagdon.
Year-round
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Britain's smallest bird, common year-round in coniferous and mixed woodland. Its high-pitched call is easily overlooked.
Year-round
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
An uncommon but year-round resident, often seen along the Severn Estuary and at reservoirs. The largest British gull.
Year-round
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
An uncommon year-round resident, regularly seen perched along the River Avon and at Chew Valley Lake, drying its wings.
Year-round
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos majorLC
A common resident in parks, gardens, and woodlands. Its loud drumming is a familiar spring sound across Bristol's green spaces.
Year-round
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
A bold and common garden resident throughout the year. Its see-sawing "teacher-teacher" song rings out from Bristol's parks and hedgerows.
Year-round
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
An uncommon resident visiting garden feeders and nesting in dense hedges. Numbers have fallen sharply due to trichomonosis disease.
Year-round
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
An uncommon resident, often seen standing motionless along the River Avon and at local lakes and wetland reserves.
Year-round
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
An uncommon resident along Bristol's rivers and streams, bobbing its long tail on rocks. Often seen near weirs and bridges year-round.
Year-round
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
A common year-round resident, nesting colonially under eaves and in roof spaces across Bristol's suburbs. Numbers have declined nationally.
Year-round
Jackdaw
Corvus monedulaLC
Abundant year-round, nesting in chimneys and old buildings. Noisy flocks are a constant presence over Bristol's rooftops.
Year-round
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
An uncommon resident, hovering over roadside verges and open ground on the city fringe throughout the year.
Year-round
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
A common year-round resident nesting on rooftops across the city centre. Bristol hosts one of the UK's largest urban colonies.
Year-round
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
An uncommon resident favouring weedy fields and scrubby margins on Bristol's outskirts. Declining nationally but present year-round.
Year-round
Little Egret
Egretta garzettaLC
Now resident year-round after colonising the region in recent decades. Stalks the shallows along the Avon and Severn Estuary.
Year-round
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
A rare resident found on sheltered ponds and waterways. Absent in late spring, suggesting limited local breeding success.
Jul–Apr
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
Noisy flocks roam hedgerows and gardens year-round. Common in Bristol's parks, often seen in acrobatic family groups.
Year-round
Magpie
Pica picaLC
A common and conspicuous resident throughout Bristol's parks, gardens, and hedgerows. Easily recognised by its chattering call.
Year-round
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
The most familiar duck in Bristol, common on the River Avon, Floating Harbour, and park ponds throughout the year.
Year-round
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Common year-round along the River Avon, park ponds, and ditches, often seen flicking its tail nervously.
Year-round
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
Present year-round on the River Avon, harbour, and park lakes, though less numerous here than in many English cities.
Year-round
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
A rare and declining resident, found on farmland and estuary fields; numbers bolstered by winter flocks.
Jun–Apr
Peregrine Falcon
Falco peregrinusLC
Resident year-round, famously nesting on tall buildings and churches in the city centre. A thrilling urban predator to watch.
Year-round
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Present year-round on the Severn Estuary and Avon mudflats. Its distinctive piping call carries across the saltmarshes.
Jun–Apr
Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclusLC
A rare resident of reedbeds and damp scrubby margins. Present year-round at wetland sites such as those along the Avon and local nature reserves.
Year-round
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Abundant throughout the city centre year-round, with feral flocks nesting on buildings and under bridges.
Year-round
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
A rare year-round resident, more typical of surrounding farmland. Noisy rookeries found on the city's rural fringes.
Year-round
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
A common resident heard singing from gardens, parks, and hedgerows throughout the year. Often seen smashing snails on paths and patios.
Year-round
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
An uncommon year-round resident, hunting small birds in parks and gardens. Often dashes through suburban hedgerows.
Year-round
Stock Dove
Columba oenasLC
An uncommon resident found in parkland and wooded areas; often overlooked among the abundant Woodpigeons.
Year-round
Tawny Owl
Strix alucoLC
A rare but year-round resident, heard more often than seen. Favours mature woodland in Leigh Woods and Blaise Castle.
Year-round
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisLC
An uncommon resident of mature woodland, spiralling up tree trunks in parks and wooded valleys around Bristol year-round.
Year-round
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Abundant year-round in Bristol's parks, gardens, and woodlands. Often heard cooing from rooftops and readily visits bird tables.
Year-round
Breeding
(11)
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
An uncommon breeding visitor from April to October, hawking insects over farmland, wetlands, and the Avon valley. Numbers have declined in recent decades.
Apr–Oct
Common Reed-warbler
Acrocephalus scirpaceusLC
A summer breeder in Bristol's reedbeds from April to August. Its repetitive churring song drifts from dense Phragmites stands.
Apr–Aug
Common Swift
Apus apusLC
A common summer breeder, screaming over rooftops from May to August before departing for Africa in September.
Apr–Sep
Dipper
Cinclus cinclusLC
A rare breeder found along fast-flowing stretches of the River Avon and its tributaries. Most reliably seen from spring through early autumn.
Jan–Sep
Garden Warbler
Sylvia borinLC
A rare and skulking summer breeder in dense scrub and woodland. More often heard than seen, present from April to August.
Apr–Aug
House Martin
Delichon urbicumLC
An uncommon summer visitor, nesting under eaves in older parts of the city. Declining nationally, present from April to October.
Apr–Oct
Sand Martin
Riparia ripariaLC
A rare breeder, nesting in sandy riverbanks along the Avon. Present from April to September, often seen hawking insects over water.
Apr–Sep
Spotted Flycatcher
Muscicapa striataLC
A rare and declining summer breeder from May to September. Sallies after insects from exposed perches in churchyards, woodland edges, and large gardens.
May–Sep
Whimbrel
Numenius phaeopusLC
A rare visitor in spring and late summer, passing through on migration. Listen for its distinctive rippling whistle.
Apr–Aug
Whitethroat
Curruca communisLC
An uncommon summer visitor favouring scrubby hedgerows and allotment edges. Males deliver a scratchy song from exposed perches.
Apr–Sep
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilusLC
An uncommon summer breeder from March to September, favouring scrubby woodland edges and parks. Its gentle descending song is a hallmark of spring.
Mar–Sep
Non-breeding
(2)
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
A rare non-breeding visitor to playing fields, reservoirs, and the estuary. Most likely seen between autumn and early spring.
Aug–Apr
Stonechat
Saxicola torquatusLC
A rare non-breeding visitor to rough grassland and scrubby edges. Most likely on the city's fringes from autumn through winter.
Jul–Mar
Passage
(6)
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
A rare passage visitor, occasionally spotted along the Severn Estuary mudflats in April and August during spring and autumn migration.
Apr–Aug
Common Redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurusLC
A rare passage migrant glimpsed in April, August, and October. Males in spring plumage show a striking orange breast and grey back.
Apr–Oct
Green Sandpiper
Tringa ochropusLC
A rare August passage migrant, occasionally spotted along streams and muddy pool edges near the city.
Aug
Northern Shoveler
Spatula clypeataLC
A rare passage visitor in spring and autumn, sometimes stopping on reservoirs and flooded fields near Bristol.
Aug–Mar
Red Knot
Calidris canutusNT
A rare passage visitor in August, occasionally stopping at the Severn Estuary mudflats during southward migration.
Aug
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
A rare August passage migrant, occasionally stopping on muddy margins along the Severn Estuary shoreline.
Aug