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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in Durham

Our list for Durham has 197 bird species recorded regularly there: 86 residents, 34 summer visitors, 32 winter visitors, 39 passage migrants and 6 scarce visitors

The list comes from 184,000 birdwatchers' records from 2019–2024, shared through the eBird Observation Dataset on GBIF. A bird is listed when it was recorded in at least 3 of the 6 years and has a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur here than are listed; the months show when it is recorded most years.

Species on our list
197
In October
129
Common
84
Busiest month
May

What's special about Durham

vs England

The birds recorded far more often here than across England, as a share of all bird records. These are the ones Durham is worth visiting for.

  1. Red GrouseRed Grouse12×Resident · 0.31% of records here, 0.03% across England
  2. Willow TitWillow Tit9.8×Resident · 0.27% of records here, 0.03% across England
  3. DipperDipper8.9×Resident · 0.30% of records here, 0.03% across England
  4. Eurasian Tree SparrowEurasian Tree Sparrow7.3×Resident · 0.80% of records here, 0.11% across England
  5. TwiteTwite6.9×Winter visitor · 0.05% of records here, 0.01% across England
  6. Purple SandpiperPurple Sandpiper3.8×Winter visitor · 0.09% of records here, 0.02% across England
  7. EiderEider3.1×Resident · 0.21% of records here, 0.07% across England
  8. Grey PartridgeGrey Partridge3.0×Resident · 0.19% of records here, 0.06% across England

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. Carrion CrowCarrion Crow4.18%
  2. WoodpigeonWoodpigeon4.13%
  3. European RobinEuropean Robin4.04%
  4. JackdawJackdaw3.57%
  5. BlackbirdBlackbird3.42%
  6. MagpieMagpie3.40%

Arriving now

  1. RedwingRedwingWinter visitorSep 0.02% → Oct 1.45%
  2. FieldfareFieldfareWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.46%
  3. BramblingBramblingWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.20%
  4. PochardPochardResidentSep 0.02% → Oct 0.15%
  5. Arctic LoonArctic LoonWinter visitorSep 0.01% → Oct 0.12%
  6. Eurasian WoodcockEurasian WoodcockResidentSep 0.00% → Oct 0.10%

Share of all bird records in Durham in October, 2019–2024. “Arriving now” are the birds whose share rises most from last month. Each month links to that month’s page.

Near you this week

The birds most likely around your town or postcode right now, from the same records, for a square about 9 km across.

The bird calendar for Durham

Month by month

When each bird is around, through the year. The darker the square, the closer that month is to the bird’s busiest. Filter by summer or winter visitors to see the seasons turn over.

The year in Durham

Records by month
Bird records in Durham by month, 2019–2024
January18,971
February13,510
March16,332
April23,915
May25,725
June15,596
July10,745
August10,461
September13,188
October13,206
November12,214
December10,489

May has the most records (26,000). Records follow birdwatchers as well as birds: a busy month means more people out looking, as well as more birds passing through.

By family

12 of 31
All 31 families in Durham

How common

More of England

All of England

All 197 birds, A to Z

Show all 197 birds

Questions

4

What birds is Durham known for?

Compared with the rest of England, Durham stands out for Red Grouse, Willow Tit, Dipper and Eurasian Tree Sparrow. Each is recorded at least 7.2 times as often here as across England, as a share of all bird records (2019–2024).

How many birds are on Birdfact's list for Durham?

197 species, each recorded regularly in Durham (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 86 residents, 34 summer visitors, 32 winter visitors, 39 passage migrants and 6 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in Durham, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in Durham in October?

129 species on our list for Durham are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are Carrion Crow, Woodpigeon, European Robin, Jackdaw and Blackbird.

What are the most common birds in Durham?

Of the birds on our list, the ones birdwatchers record most often in Durham are Woodpigeon, Blackbird, Carrion Crow, Magpie and European Robin.

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

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