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Records 2019–2024 · GBIF

Birds in West Lothian

Our list for West Lothian has 105 bird species recorded regularly there: 58 residents, 23 summer visitors, 4 winter visitors, 11 passage migrants and 9 scarce visitors

The list comes from 15,000 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
105
In October
48
Common
85
Busiest month
Dec

What's special about West Lothian

vs Scotland

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

  1. Great Crested GrebeGreat Crested Grebe8.0×Summer visitor · 0.98% of records here, 0.12% across Scotland
  2. CootCoot5.6×Resident · 1.7% of records here, 0.31% across Scotland
  3. Little GrebeLittle Grebe4.2×Resident · 1.4% of records here, 0.33% across Scotland
  4. Red CrossbillRed Crossbill3.9×Resident · 0.33% of records here, 0.09% across Scotland
  5. MoorhenMoorhen3.6×Resident · 1.9% of records here, 0.52% across Scotland
  6. Tufted DuckTufted Duck3.6×Resident · 1.6% of records here, 0.45% across Scotland
  7. Canada GooseCanada Goose3.5×Summer visitor · 1.1% of records here, 0.31% across Scotland
  8. Common MerganserCommon Merganser2.8×Winter visitor · 1.1% of records here, 0.41% across Scotland

This month: October

GBIF · Oct

Most likely

  1. MagpieMagpie4.70%
  2. European RobinEuropean Robin4.33%
  3. WoodpigeonWoodpigeon4.21%
  4. JackdawJackdaw3.96%
  5. Carrion CrowCarrion Crow3.84%
  6. MallardMallard3.59%

Arriving now

  1. Canada GooseCanada GooseSummer visitorSep 0.84% → Oct 1.49%
  2. RedwingRedwingWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 1.11%
  3. GoldeneyeGoldeneyeWinter visitorSep 0.00% → Oct 0.50%
  4. SparrowhawkSparrowhawkSummer visitorSep 0.19% → Oct 0.50%

Share of all bird records in West Lothian 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 West Lothian

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 West Lothian

Records by month
Bird records in West Lothian by month, 2019–2024
January1,507
February798
March1,697
April1,586
May1,336
June1,661
July1,289
August547
September1,070
October808
November1,188
December1,986

December has the most records (1,986). 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 21
All 21 families in West Lothian

How common

More of Scotland

All of Scotland

All 105 birds, A to Z

Show all 105 birds

Questions

4

What birds is West Lothian known for?

Compared with the rest of Scotland, West Lothian stands out for Great Crested Grebe, Coot, Little Grebe and Red Crossbill. Each is recorded at least 3.8 times as often here as across Scotland, as a share of all bird records (2019–2024).

How many birds are on Birdfact's list for West Lothian?

105 species, each recorded regularly in West Lothian (in at least 3 of the 6 years 2019–2024): 58 residents, 23 summer visitors, 4 winter visitors, 11 passage migrants and 9 scarce visitors. The list includes only birds with a Birdfact species guide, so more species occur in West Lothian, and rarer vagrants are not listed.

What birds can I see in West Lothian in October?

48 species on our list for West Lothian are recorded regularly in October. Of these, the most often recorded are Magpie, European Robin, Woodpigeon, Jackdaw and Carrion Crow.

What are the most common birds in West Lothian?

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

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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