Birds to See in Derry in May
65 bird species on our list for Derry are recorded regularly in May
Of these, the most often recorded are Common Starling, Jackdaw, Barn Swallow, Blackbird and Eurasian Wren. New this month: Common Swift, Sandwich Tern, Reed Bunting and Kittiwake and 4 more.
On the move in May
GBIF · MayArriving
At their peak
From Derry’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 65 birds in May
65 birds
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRecorded all year · 3.91% in May
JackdawColoeus monedulaSummer visitorCommon34–39 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 3.70% in May
Barn SwallowHirundo rusticaSummer visitorCommon17–19 cmRegularly Apr–Sep · 3.49% in May
BlackbirdTurdus merulaResidentCommon24–25 cmRegularly Dec–Oct · 3.14% in May
Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytesSummer visitorCommon9–10 cmRegularly Mar–Dec · 3.14% in May
European Herring GullLarus argentatusSummer visitorCommon55–67 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 3.14% in May
Hooded CrowCorvus cornixSummer visitorCommon44–51 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 3.14% in May
WoodpigeonColumba palumbusSummer visitorCommon40–42 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 2.86% in May
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentCommon80–100 cmRecorded all year · 2.72% in May
House SparrowPasser domesticusResidentCommon14–17 cmRecorded all year · 2.72% in May
RookCorvus frugilegusResidentCommon45–47 cmRecorded all year · 2.65% in May
Pied WagtailMotacilla albaResidentCommon17–18 cmRecorded all year · 2.58% in May
Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusResidentCommon40–45 cmRecorded all year · 2.30% in May
European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelisSummer visitorCommon12–13 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 2.16% in May
MagpiePica picaResidentCommon44–46 cmRecorded all year · 2.16% in May
Common ShelduckTadorna tadornaSummer visitorCommon58–67 cmRegularly Mar–Sep · 1.88% in May
Meadow PipitAnthus pratensisSummer visitorCommon14–15 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 1.88% in May
Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensisSummer visitorCommon16–18 cmRegularly Apr–Nov · 1.81% in May
LinnetLinaria cannabinaSummer visitorCommon13–14 cmRegularly Mar–Nov · 1.81% in May
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusResidentCommon38–44 cmRecorded all year · 1.74% in May
EiderSomateria mollissimaSummer visitorCommon50–71 cmRegularly Jan–Sep · 1.74% in May
Grey HeronArdea cinereaSummer visitorCommon90–98 cmRegularly Feb–Nov · 1.74% in May
MallardAnas platyrhynchosSummer visitorCommon50–65 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 1.74% in May
Great Black-backed GullLarus marinusResidentCommon64–79 cmRecorded all year · 1.67% in May
House MartinDelichon urbicumSummer visitorCommon13–15 cmRegularly Apr–Sep · 1.67% in May
Rock DoveColumba liviaResidentCommon31–34 cmRecorded all year · 1.67% in May
Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilusSummer visitorCommon11–13 cmRegularly Apr–Aug · 1.67% in May
Rock PipitAnthus petrosusSummer visitorCommon16–18 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 1.54% in May
ChaffinchFringilla coelebsSummer visitorCommon14–16 cmRegularly Jan–Sep · 1.47% in May
European RobinErithacus rubeculaResidentCommon13–14 cmRecorded all year · 1.47% in May
Northern GannetMorus bassanusSummer visitorCommon87–100 cmRegularly Apr–Oct · 1.47% in May
Sandwich TernThalasseus sandvicensisPassage migrantCommon36–41 cmRegularly May–Sep · 1.33% in May
Sand MartinRiparia ripariaSummer visitorCommon12–14 cmRegularly Apr–Aug · 1.26% in May
Common SwiftApus apusSummer visitorCommon16–17 cmRegularly May–Aug · 1.19% in May
StonechatSaxicola rubicolaSummer visitorCommon12–13 cmRegularly Mar–Dec · 1.19% in May
Mute SwanCygnus olorSummer visitorCommon140–160 cmRegularly Apr–Nov · 1.12% in May
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusSummer visitorCommon52–64 cmRegularly Mar–Oct · 1.05% in May
Blue TitCyanistes caeruleusSummer visitorCommon11–12 cmRegularly Feb–Dec · 0.98% in May
Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclusSummer visitorCommon14–16 cmRegularly May–Nov · 0.91% in May
Black GuillemotCepphus grylleSummer visitorCommon30–32 cmRegularly Apr–Sep · 0.84% in May
DunlinCalidris alpinaResidentCommon16–22 cmRegularly Apr–Jan · 0.84% in May
European ShagGulosus aristotelisSummer visitorCommon65–80 cmRegularly Apr–Jan · 0.84% in May
Ruddy TurnstoneArenaria interpresPassage migrantCommon21–24 cmRegularly Aug–May · 0.84% in May
Great TitParus majorSummer visitorCommonRegularly Feb–Dec · 0.77% in May
DunnockPrunella modularisResidentCommon14–15 cmRegularly Apr–Nov · 0.70% in May
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoSummer visitorCommon30–32 cmRegularly Feb–Oct · 0.70% in May
FulmarFulmarus glacialisSummer visitorCommon45–50 cmRegularly Mar–Sep · 0.70% in May
BlackcapSylvia atricapillaResidentCommon13–15 cmRegularly Apr–Aug · 0.63% in May
Ringed PloverCharadrius hiaticulaResidentCommon17–19 cmRegularly Apr–Jan · 0.63% in May
Song ThrushTurdus philomelosSummer visitorCommon20–23 cmRegularly Feb–Jul · 0.63% in May
BuzzardButeo buteoSummer visitorCommon51–57 cmRegularly Mar–Dec · 0.56% in May
SanderlingCalidris albaResidentCommon18–20 cmRegularly Apr–Dec · 0.56% in May
ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybitaPassage migrantCommon10–12 cmRegularly Apr–Jul · 0.49% in May
CurlewNumenius arquataSummer visitorCommon50–60 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 0.49% in May
KittiwakeRissa tridactylaSummer visitorCommon37–41 cmRegularly Mar–Sep · 0.49% in May
Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenusSummer visitorUncommon12–13 cmRegularly May–Jul · 0.49% in May
WhimbrelNumenius phaeopusPassage migrantUncommon40–46 cmRegularly May–Sep · 0.49% in May
WhitethroatCurruca communisScarceUncommon13–15 cmRegularly May–Jul · 0.49% in May
GoldcrestRegulus regulusResidentCommon9–10 cmRegularly Feb–Sep · 0.42% in May
Coal TitPeriparus aterSummer visitorCommon10–12 cmRegularly Feb–Nov · 0.35% in May
GreenshankTringa nebulariaPassage migrantCommon30–35 cmRegularly Apr–Oct · records held back in May (protected)
Grey WagtailMotacilla cinereaResidentUncommon17–20 cmRegularly May–Sep · 0.35% in May
GreenfinchChloris chlorisResidentUncommon15–16 cmRegularly Apr–Jul · 0.28% in May
Common LoonGavia immerPassage migrantCommon66–91 cmRegularly Nov–Aug · records held back in May (protected)
Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinusResidentCommon34–58 cmRegularly Feb–Nov · 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