Birds to See in Scottish Borders in May
106 species listed for May · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
106 bird species on our list for Scottish Borders are recorded regularly in May. Of these, the most often recorded are Chaffinch, Jackdaw, Blackbird, Woodpigeon and Carrion Crow. New this month: Common Swift, Whitethroat, Sedge Warbler and Tawny Owl and 13 more.
New in May17
Leaving after last month4
Residents
(56)Recorded all year
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
Recorded all year
Jackdaw
Coloeus monedulaLC
Recorded all year
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Recorded all year
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Recorded all year
Carrion Crow
Corvus coroneLC
Recorded all year
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
Recorded all year
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
Recorded all year
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
Recorded all year
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Recorded all year
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Recorded all year
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
Recorded all year
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
Recorded all year
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Recorded all year
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
Recorded all year
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
Recorded all year
Magpie
Pica picaLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
Recorded all year
European Shag
Gulosus aristotelisLC
Recorded all year
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialisLC
Regularly Nov–Sep
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
Recorded all year
Tufted Duck
Aythya fuligulaLC
Recorded all year
Grey Wagtail
Motacilla cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Recorded all year
Mistle Thrush
Turdus viscivorusLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
Recorded all year
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
Recorded all year
Northern Lapwing
Vanellus vanellusNT
Regularly Mar–Oct
Black-headed Gull
Chroicocephalus ridibundusLC
Recorded all year
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Recorded all year
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaeaLC
Recorded all year
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Recorded all year
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisLC
Recorded all year
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos majorLC
Recorded all year
Curlew
Numenius arquataNT
Recorded all year
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
Recorded all year
Rock Pipit
Anthus petrosusLC
Recorded all year
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
Recorded all year
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
Recorded all year
Red-legged Partridge
Alectoris rufaNT
Regularly Sep–Jun
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Regularly Mar–Jun
Stock Dove
Columba oenasLC
Regularly Mar–Aug
Canada Goose
Branta canadensisLC
Regularly Jan–Oct
Eurasian Jay
Garrulus glandariusLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Tawny Owl
Strix alucoLC
Regularly Sep–May
Common Snipe
Gallinago gallinagoLC
Regularly Sep–May
European Green Woodpecker
Picus viridisLC
Regularly Feb–May
Summer visitors
(33)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Regularly Mar–Nov
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Recorded all year
House Martin
Delichon urbicumLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
Regularly Jan–Nov
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Yellowhammer
Emberiza citrinellaLC
Regularly Jan–Nov
Sand Martin
Riparia ripariaLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
Regularly Jan–Nov
Northern Gannet
Morus bassanusLC
Regularly Feb–Nov
Whitethroat
Curruca communisLC
Regularly May–Sep
Razorbill
Alca tordaLC
Regularly Feb–Dec
Common Swift
Apus apusLC
Regularly May–Aug
Sedge Warbler
Acrocephalus schoenobaenusLC
Regularly May–Sep
Kittiwake
Rissa tridactylaVU
Regularly Mar–Nov
Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclusLC
Regularly Jan–Nov
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Passer montanusLC
Regularly Jan–Nov
Stonechat
Saxicola rubicolaLC
Regularly Feb–Nov
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Regularly Mar–Jan
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Regularly Jan–Oct
Wheatear
Oenanthe oenantheLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Coot
Fulica atraLC
Regularly Jan–Nov
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Regularly Jan–Nov
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
Regularly Apr–Jul
Spotted Flycatcher
Muscicapa striataLC
Regularly May–Sep
Garden Warbler
Sylvia borinLC
Regularly May–Jul
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensisLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Red Grouse
Lagopus scoticaLC
Regularly Oct–Aug
Osprey
Pandion haliaetusLC
Regularly Apr–Aug
Grey Partridge
Perdix perdixLC
Regularly Feb–Sep
Atlantic Puffin
Fratercula arcticaVU
Regularly May–Nov
Winter visitors
(8)Present outside the breeding season
Common Merganser
Mergus merganserLC
Recorded all year
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
Recorded all year
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
Regularly Aug–Jun
Dipper
Cinclus cinclusLC
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Teal
Anas creccaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Redshank
Tringa totanusLC
Regularly Aug–May
Passage migrants
(9)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Cuckoo
Cuculus canorusLC
Regularly May–Jun
Common Redstart
Phoenicurus phoenicurusLC
Regularly May–Sep
Grasshopper Warbler
Locustella naeviaLC
Regularly May
Common Reed-warbler
Acrocephalus scirpaceusLC
Regularly May–Jun
Wood Warbler
Phylloscopus sibilatrixLC
Regularly May
Ring Ouzel
Turdus torquatusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
European Pied Flycatcher
Ficedula hypoleucaLC
Regularly May–Sep
Pink-footed Goose
Anser brachyrhynchusLC
Regularly Sep–May
Common Tern
Sterna hirundoLC
Regularly May–Sep
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