Birds to See in South Ayrshire in May
93 species listed for May · birdwatchers' records, 2019–2024
93 bird species on our list for South Ayrshire are recorded regularly in May. Of these, the most often recorded are Jackdaw, House Sparrow, Rook, European Herring Gull and Blackbird. New this month: House Martin, Common Swift, Little Grebe and Sanderling and 3 more.
Residents
(46)Recorded all year
Jackdaw
Coloeus monedulaLC
Recorded all year
House Sparrow
Passer domesticusLC
Recorded all year
Rook
Corvus frugilegusLC
Recorded all year
European Herring Gull
Larus argentatusLC
Recorded all year
Blackbird
Turdus merulaLC
Recorded all year
Carrion Crow
Corvus coroneLC
Recorded all year
Woodpigeon
Columba palumbusLC
Recorded all year
Common Starling
Sturnus vulgarisLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Collared Dove
Streptopelia decaoctoLC
Recorded all year
Rock Dove
Columba liviaLC
Recorded all year
Dunnock
Prunella modularisLC
Recorded all year
Blue Tit
Cyanistes caeruleusLC
Recorded all year
European Goldfinch
Carduelis carduelisLC
Recorded all year
Magpie
Pica picaLC
Recorded all year
Great Tit
Parus majorLC
Recorded all year
Chaffinch
Fringilla coelebsLC
Recorded all year
Linnet
Linaria cannabinaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Wren
Troglodytes troglodytesLC
Recorded all year
Grey Heron
Ardea cinereaLC
Recorded all year
Eider
Somateria mollissimaNT
Recorded all year
Eurasian Oystercatcher
Haematopus ostralegusNT
Recorded all year
Reed Bunting
Emberiza schoeniclusLC
Recorded all year
Pied Wagtail
Motacilla albaLC
Recorded all year
Mallard
Anas platyrhynchosLC
Recorded all year
European Shag
Gulosus aristotelisLC
Recorded all year
Great Black-backed Gull
Larus marinusLC
Recorded all year
Great Cormorant
Phalacrocorax carboLC
Recorded all year
Moorhen
Gallinula chloropusLC
Recorded all year
Black Guillemot
Cepphus grylleLC
Recorded all year
Ringed Plover
Charadrius hiaticulaLC
Recorded all year
Rock Pipit
Anthus petrosusLC
Recorded all year
Buzzard
Buteo buteoLC
Recorded all year
Goldcrest
Regulus regulusLC
Recorded all year
Coal Tit
Periparus aterLC
Recorded all year
Razorbill
Alca tordaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Siskin
Spinus spinusLC
Recorded all year
Sanderling
Calidris albaLC
Regularly May–Mar
Sparrowhawk
Accipiter nisusLC
Recorded all year
Common Raven
Corvus coraxLC
Recorded all year
Kestrel
Falco tinnunculusLC
Recorded all year
Common Redpoll
Acanthis flammeaLC
Recorded all year
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Dendrocopos majorLC
Recorded all year
Hooded Crow
Corvus cornixLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Dipper
Cinclus cinclusLC
Regularly Jan–Jun
Common Loon
Gavia immerLC
Regularly Dec–May
Fulmar
Fulmarus glacialisLC
Regularly May–Oct
Summer visitors
(15)Arrives to breed; scarce or absent in winter
Lesser Black-backed Gull
Larus fuscusLC
Recorded all year
Barn Swallow
Hirundo rusticaLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
Sedge Warbler
Acrocephalus schoenobaenusLC
Regularly Apr–Aug
Whitethroat
Curruca communisLC
Regularly Apr–Aug
Willow Warbler
Phylloscopus trochilusLC
Regularly Apr–Sep
House Martin
Delichon urbicumLC
Regularly May–Sep
Northern Gannet
Morus bassanusLC
Regularly Feb–Nov
Blackcap
Sylvia atricapillaLC
Regularly Jan–Sep
Common Swift
Apus apusLC
Regularly May–Aug
Chiffchaff
Phylloscopus collybitaLC
Regularly Mar–Oct
Sandwich Tern
Thalasseus sandvicensisLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Garden Warbler
Sylvia borinLC
Regularly Apr–Jul
Sand Martin
Riparia ripariaLC
Regularly Mar–Sep
Manx Shearwater
Puffinus puffinusLC
Regularly Apr–Oct
Common Sandpiper
Actitis hypoleucosLC
Regularly Apr–Aug
Winter visitors
(26)Present outside the breeding season
European Robin
Erithacus rubeculaLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Eurasian Skylark
Alauda arvensisLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Mute Swan
Cygnus olorLC
Regularly Aug–May
Song Thrush
Turdus philomelosLC
Regularly Oct–Jul
Meadow Pipit
Anthus pratensisLC
Recorded all year
Common Gull
Larus canusLC
Recorded all year
Dunlin
Calidris alpinaLC
Recorded all year
Greenfinch
Chloris chlorisLC
Recorded all year
Ruddy Turnstone
Arenaria interpresLC
Recorded all year
Common Pheasant
Phasianus colchicusLC
Recorded all year
Red-breasted Merganser
Mergus serratorLC
Recorded all year
Little Grebe
Tachybaptus ruficollisLC
Regularly May–Mar
Stonechat
Saxicola rubicolaLC
Recorded all year
Common Shelduck
Tadorna tadornaLC
Regularly Sep–Jun
Red-throated Loon
Gavia stellataLC
Regularly Sep–May
Bullfinch
Pyrrhula pyrrhulaLC
Recorded all year
Eurasian Nuthatch
Sitta europaeaLC
Recorded all year
Kittiwake
Rissa tridactylaVU
Regularly Aug–Jun
Yellowhammer
Emberiza citrinellaLC
Regularly Sep–Jul
Common Merganser
Mergus merganserLC
Recorded all year
Greylag Goose
Anser anserLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Long-tailed Tit
Aegithalos caudatusLC
Recorded all year
Canada Goose
Branta canadensisLC
Regularly Aug–Jun
Bar-tailed Godwit
Limosa lapponicaNT
Regularly Jul–May
Stock Dove
Columba oenasLC
Recorded all year
Treecreeper
Certhia familiarisLC
Regularly Jul–May
Passage migrants
(5)Seen mainly in spring and autumn migration
Scarce visitors
(1)Recorded in some years but not every year
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