Birds to See in East Ayrshire in May
72 bird species on our list for East Ayrshire are recorded regularly in May
Of these, the most often recorded are Chaffinch, Willow Warbler, Carrion Crow, Barn Swallow and Eurasian Wren. New this month: Coot, Kestrel, Common Swift and Great Cormorant and 10 more.
On the move in May
GBIF · MayArriving
At their peak
From East Ayrshire’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 72 birds in May
72 birds
ChaffinchFringilla coelebsResidentCommon14–16 cmRegularly Nov–Sep · 4.52% in May
Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilusSummer visitorCommon11–13 cmRegularly Apr–Sep · 4.52% in May
Carrion CrowCorvus coroneResidentCommon45–47 cmRecorded all year · 3.95% in May
Barn SwallowHirundo rusticaSummer visitorCommon17–19 cmRegularly Apr–Sep · 3.66% in May
Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytesSummer visitorCommon9–10 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 3.08% in May
BlackbirdTurdus merulaSummer visitorCommon24–25 cmRegularly Oct–Jul · 2.98% in May
European RobinErithacus rubeculaSummer visitorCommon13–14 cmRegularly Nov–Sep · 2.89% in May
Meadow PipitAnthus pratensisSummer visitorCommon14–15 cmRegularly Apr–Jan · 2.69% in May
Great TitParus majorSummer visitorCommonRegularly Oct–Jul · 2.50% in May
BuzzardButeo buteoSummer visitorCommon51–57 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 2.12% in May
JackdawColoeus monedulaSummer visitorCommon34–39 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 2.12% in May
BlackcapSylvia atricapillaSummer visitorCommon13–15 cmRegularly Apr–Jul · 2.02% in May
Blue TitCyanistes caeruleusSummer visitorCommon11–12 cmRegularly Nov–Sep · 2.02% in May
European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelisSummer visitorCommon12–13 cmRegularly Apr–Aug · 1.83% in May
WoodpigeonColumba palumbusSummer visitorCommon40–42 cmRegularly Mar–Jan · 1.73% in May
ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybitaPassage migrantCommon10–12 cmRegularly Apr–Jul · 1.64% in May
House MartinDelichon urbicumSummer visitorCommon13–15 cmRegularly Apr–Sep · 1.64% in May
Pied WagtailMotacilla albaSummer visitorCommon17–18 cmRegularly Nov–Jul · 1.64% in May
Common RedpollAcanthis flammeaResidentCommon12–14 cmRegularly Apr–Jun · 1.54% in May
Eurasian SkylarkAlauda arvensisSummer visitorCommon16–18 cmRegularly Mar–Jul · 1.54% in May
European Herring GullLarus argentatusResidentCommon55–67 cmRegularly Nov–Jul · 1.54% in May
Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscusSummer visitorCommon52–64 cmRegularly Mar–Aug · 1.54% in May
CuckooCuculus canorusPassage migrantCommon32–34 cmRegularly May–Jun · 1.44% in May
Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinusSummer visitorCommon11–13 cmRegularly Dec–Sep · 1.44% in May
MallardAnas platyrhynchosResidentCommon50–65 cmRegularly Nov–Sep · 1.44% in May
Coal TitPeriparus aterSummer visitorCommon10–12 cmRegularly Mar–Dec · 1.25% in May
Common StarlingSturnus vulgarisResidentCommon21–23 cmRegularly Dec–Aug · 1.25% in May
Garden WarblerSylvia borinPassage migrantCommon14–15 cmRegularly May–Jun · 1.25% in May
Sand MartinRiparia ripariaPassage migrantCommon12–14 cmRegularly Apr–Jun · 1.25% in May
Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundusSummer visitorCommon38–44 cmRegularly Jan–Jul · 1.15% in May
CurlewNumenius arquataResidentCommon50–60 cmRegularly Mar–Jun · 1.15% in May
DunnockPrunella modularisSummer visitorCommon14–15 cmRegularly Jan–Sep · 1.15% in May
MagpiePica picaSummer visitorCommon44–46 cmRegularly Oct–Jul · 1.15% in May
RookCorvus frugilegusSummer visitorCommon45–47 cmRegularly Apr–Jan · 1.15% in May
Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurusPassage migrantCommon13–15 cmRegularly Apr–Jun · 1.06% in May
Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striataSummer visitorCommon14–16 cmRegularly May–Jul · 1.06% in May
Tree PipitAnthus trivialisPassage migrantCommon14–16 cmRegularly Apr–Jun · 1.06% in May
Canada GooseBranta canadensisSummer visitorCommon76–110 cmRegularly Sep–Jul · 0.96% in May
Common RavenCorvus coraxResidentCommon54–67 cmRegularly Jan–Aug · 0.96% in May
Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaeaSummer visitorCommon12–15 cmRegularly Dec–Jul · 0.96% in May
House SparrowPasser domesticusSummer visitorCommon14–17 cmRegularly Jan–Jul · 0.96% in May
Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenusPassage migrantCommon12–13 cmRegularly May–Jun · 0.96% in May
Song ThrushTurdus philomelosSummer visitorCommon20–23 cmRegularly Mar–Jul · 0.87% in May
StonechatSaxicola rubicolaResidentCommon12–13 cmRegularly Apr–Sep · 0.87% in May
WheatearOenanthe oenanthePassage migrantCommon15–16 cmRegularly Apr–Jul · 0.87% in May
DipperCinclus cinclusSummer visitorCommon17–20 cmRegularly Apr–Jul · 0.77% in May
Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusSummer visitorCommon40–45 cmRegularly Feb–Jul · 0.77% in May
Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos majorSummer visitorCommon23–26 cmRegularly Apr–Jul · 0.77% in May
Grey HeronArdea cinereaSummer visitorCommon90–98 cmRegularly Jan–Jul · 0.77% in May
Long-tailed TitAegithalos caudatusResidentCommon13–16 cmRegularly Apr–Jul · 0.77% in May
Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclusSummer visitorCommon14–16 cmRegularly Mar–Sep · 0.77% in May
WhinchatSaxicola rubetraPassage migrantCommon12–14 cmRegularly May–Jun · 0.77% in May
Wood WarblerPhylloscopus sibilatrixPassage migrantCommon11–13 cmRegularly May · 0.77% in May
Common PheasantPhasianus colchicusSummer visitorCommon50–90 cmRegularly Mar–Jul · 0.67% in May
Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucosSummer visitorCommon18–20 cmRegularly Apr–Jul · 0.67% in May
CootFulica atraResidentCommon36–42 cmRegularly Nov–Jul · 0.67% in May
Grasshopper WarblerLocustella naeviaPassage migrantCommon12–13 cmRegularly May · 0.67% in May
Common GullLarus canusResidentCommon40–46 cmRegularly Feb–Jun · 0.58% in May
Common SwiftApus apusSummer visitorCommon16–17 cmRegularly May–Jul · 0.58% in May
Grey WagtailMotacilla cinereaResidentCommon17–20 cmRegularly Apr–Jun · 0.58% in May
KestrelFalco tinnunculusSummer visitorCommon32–39 cmRegularly Jan–Jul · 0.58% in May
Mute SwanCygnus olorResidentCommon140–160 cmRegularly Jan–Sep · 0.58% in May
WhitethroatCurruca communisPassage migrantCommon13–15 cmRegularly May–Jun · 0.58% in May
TreecreeperCerthia familiarisResidentCommon12–14 cmRegularly Jan–Jul · 0.48% in May
Common MerganserMergus merganserResidentCommon58–68 cmRegularly Jan–May · 0.38% in May
Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorusResidentCommon27–28 cmRegularly Jan–Jul · 0.38% in May
MoorhenGallinula chloropusResidentCommon30–38 cmRegularly Jan–Jul · 0.38% in May
Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusResidentCommon28–31 cmRegularly Jan–May · 0.38% in May
Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaoctoSummer visitorCommon30–32 cmRegularly Jan–Jul · 0.29% in May
Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carboResidentCommon80–100 cmRegularly Mar–May · 0.29% in May
Greylag GooseAnser anserResidentCommon75–90 cmRegularly Jan–May · 0.29% in May
LinnetLinaria cannabinaResidentCommon13–14 cmRegularly May · 0.29% in May
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