United Kingdom Ramsar wetland
Black Firs and Cranberry Bog
138 bird species recorded; the most from March to April.
AtticTapestry · CC BY-SA 4.0
This month here
92 species in January.94 species in February.103 species in March.106 species in April.92 species in May.82 species in June.88 species in July.93 species in August.82 species in September.81 species in October.85 species in November.89 species in December.
The birds you are most likely to see in the month you choose, those that come for the season first. It opens on today's month.
- Resident all year
- Summer visitor comes to breed
- Winter visitor comes for the winter
- Passage migrant in spring and autumn
In numbers
138 species, counted.
Our own rating, from the records only: species (50 points), threatened species (20), migrants (20) and protected status — Ramsar, IBA, SPA, observatory (10).
- 138Speciesrecorded more than once
- 55Migrantssummer, winter or passage visitors
- 1ThreatenedVulnerable, Endangered or Critically Endangered (IUCN)
- 43,959Recordsopen records within 6 km
- 91 mAltitudeabove the sea
- 7Raptors
- 3Owls
- 15Waders
- 6Gulls & seabirds
- 20Ducks & geese
- 6Herons, ibises & grebes
- 1Storks & cranes
- 63Songbirds
- 17Other birds
From open records (eBird and others, through GBIF, licensed for any use). More birdwatchers mean more records: a quiet place may have more birds than it shows.
The checklist
All 138 species.
By group, with the year in twelve cells: the darker the cell, the more often the bird is recorded that month.
Raptors7 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common BuzzardButeo buteo
- Common KestrelFalco tinnunculus
- Eurasian SparrowhawkAccipiter nisus
- European HobbyFalco subbuteo
- Peregrine FalconFalco peregrinus
- Red KiteMilvus milvus
- OspreyPandion haliaetus
Owls3 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Tawny OwlStrix aluco
- Western Barn OwlTyto alba
- Little OwlAthene noctua
Waders15 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Northern LapwingVanellus vanellusNT
- Eurasian CurlewNumenius arquataNT
- Common SnipeGallinago gallinago
- Eurasian OystercatcherHaematopus ostralegusNT
- Black-winged StiltHimantopus himantopus
- Green SandpiperTringa ochropus
- Common SandpiperActitis hypoleucos
- European Golden PloverPluvialis apricaria
- Eurasian WoodcockScolopax rusticola
- RedshankTringa totanus
- Common GreenshankTringa nebularia
- RuffCalidris pugnax
- Black-tailed GodwitLimosa limosaNT
- DunlinCalidris alpinaNT
- Jack SnipeLymnocryptes minimus
Gulls & seabirds6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Lesser Black-backed GullLarus fuscus
- Black-headed GullChroicocephalus ridibundus
- Common GullLarus canus
- European Herring GullLarus argentatus
- Yellow-legged GullLarus michahellis
- Great Black-backed GullLarus marinus
Ducks & geese20 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- MallardAnas platyrhynchos
- Canada GooseBranta canadensis
- Greylag GooseAnser anser
- Eurasian WigeonMareca penelope
- Cairina moschataCairina moschata
- Mute SwanCygnus olor
- GoosanderMergus merganser
- Tufted DuckAythya fuligula
- Eurasian TealAnas crecca
- Northern ShovelerSpatula clypeata
- Common ShelduckTadorna tadorna
- Pink-footed GooseAnser brachyrhynchus
- Common PochardAythya ferinaVU
- GadwallMareca strepera
- Mandarin DuckAix galericulata
- Common GoldeneyeBucephala clangula
- Swan GooseAnser cygnoides
- Barnacle GooseBranta leucopsis
- Northern PintailAnas acuta
- GarganeySpatula querquedula
Herons, ibises & grebes6 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Great Crested GrebePodiceps cristatus
- Grey HeronArdea cinerea
- Great CormorantPhalacrocorax carbo
- Little GrebeTachybaptus ruficollis
- Little EgretEgretta garzetta
- Great White EgretArdea alba
Storks & cranes1 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- White StorkCiconia ciconia
Songbirds63 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Eurasian MagpiePica pica
- Carrion CrowCorvus corone
- European RobinErithacus rubecula
- Eurasian BlackbirdTurdus merula
- European GoldfinchCarduelis carduelis
- Eurasian WrenTroglodytes troglodytes
- Eurasian Blue TitCyanistes caeruleus
- Great titParus major
- Western JackdawColoeus monedula
- Eurasian ChaffinchFringilla coelebs
- DunnockPrunella modularis
- Song ThrushTurdus philomelos
- Common StarlingSturnus vulgaris
- House SparrowPasser domesticus
- Common ChiffchaffPhylloscopus collybita
- BullfinchPyrrhula pyrrhula
- Eurasian JayGarrulus glandarius
- European GreenfinchChloris chloris
- Common Reed BuntingEmberiza schoeniclus
- RedwingTurdus iliacus
- BlackcapSylvia atricapilla
- Common RedpollAcanthis flammea
- Barn swallowHirundo rustica
- White WagtailMotacilla alba
- Common House MartinDelichon urbicum
- Meadow PipitAnthus pratensis
- Willow WarblerPhylloscopus trochilus
- WhitethroatSylvia communis
- SkylarkAlauda arvensis
- GoldcrestRegulus regulus
- Mistle ThrushTurdus viscivorus
- Coal TitPeriparus ater
- FieldfareTurdus pilaris
- Eurasian TreecreeperCerthia familiaris
- Eurasian NuthatchSitta europaea
- Common LinnetLinaria cannabina
- Northern RavenCorvus corax
- RookCorvus frugilegus
- Eurasian Reed WarblerAcrocephalus scirpaceus
- Eurasian Tree SparrowPasser montanus
- Eurasian SiskinSpinus spinus
- Grey WagtailMotacilla cinerea
- Garden WarblerSylvia borin
- Western Yellow WagtailMotacilla flava
- Willow TitPoecile montanus
- Common Grasshopper WarblerLocustella naevia
- Spotted FlycatcherMuscicapa striata
- YellowhammerEmberiza citrinella
- Corn BuntingEmberiza calandra
- BramblingFringilla montifringilla
- Lesser whitethroatSylvia curruca
- European StonechatSaxicola rubicola
- Sand MartinRiparia riparia
- Marsh TitPoecile palustris
- Sedge WarblerAcrocephalus schoenobaenus
- Northern WheatearOenanthe oenanthe
- Common FirecrestRegulus ignicapilla
- Bohemian WaxwingBombycilla garrulus
- Black RedstartPhoenicurus ochruros
- Common RedstartPhoenicurus phoenicurus
- Tree PipitAnthus trivialis
- Yellow-browed WarblerPhylloscopus inornatus
- HawfinchCoccothraustes coccothraustes
Other birds17 species
JFMAMJJASOND
- Common Wood PigeonColumba palumbus
- CootFulica atra
- Common MoorhenGallinula chloropus
- European SwiftApus apus
- Eurasian Collared DoveStreptopelia decaocto
- Stock DoveColumba oenas
- Great Spotted WoodpeckerDendrocopos major
- Common PheasantPhasianus colchicus
- Rock DoveColumba livia
- Green WoodpeckerPicus viridis
- Grey PartridgePerdix perdix
- Common KingfisherAlcedo atthis
- Red-legged PartridgeAlectoris rufaNT
- Lesser Spotted WoodpeckerDryobates minor
- Common CuckooCuculus canorus
- Common QuailCoturnix coturnix
- Rose-ringed ParakeetPsittacula krameri
Monthly presence relative to all bird records that month, so a busy month does not inflate every species.
When to go
The most species from March to April.
Species recorded in each month, with the usual temperature and rain.
- Jan6°/1°73 mm
- Feb6°/1°61 mm
- Mar9°/2°59 mm
- Apr12°/4°53 mm
- May16°/6°64 mm
- Jun18°/10°77 mm
- Jul20°/11°82 mm
- Aug19°/11°81 mm
- Sep17°/9°65 mm
- Oct13°/6°86 mm
- Nov9°/4°83 mm
- Dec6°/2°82 mm
- Bar: species recorded that month.
- Temperature: average maximum / minimum (NASA, 1991–2020).
- Rain: monthly total.
The place
Black Firs and Cranberry Bog.
Nature reserve in Staffordshire, UK
Black Firs and Cranberry Bog is a wetland of international importance (Ramsar) in United Kingdom.
138 bird species have been recorded here more than once, in 43,959 open records.
The most recorded are the Common Wood Pigeon, the Eurasian Magpie and the Carrion Crow.
26 species come for the summer, 28 for the winter and 1 only pass through.
1 are threatened worldwide, including Common Pochard.
The most species are recorded from March to April.
Get there and watch
- Finneys Caravan Parkcampsite · 10 km · 3 within 10 km
- De Vere Wychwood Parkplace to stay · 1.0 km · 28 within 10 km
- Betleynearest town · 1.6 km in a straight line
- Manchester Airport (MAN)nearest airport with scheduled flights · 34 km in a straight lineCar hire at MAN airport (Manchester, Greater Manchester)Discover Cars · sponsored link↗
Plan the visit
A guided walk, a bed nearby, a car.
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
From above
The place and its surroundings.
The satellite image of the 6 × 6 km around the place, with the bird hides, towers and trails that OpenStreetMap shows.
Around, in OpenStreetMap
- 5marked trails within 4 kmSouth Cheshire Way, Crewe and Nantwich Circular Walk, Walk around Wybunbury and 2 more
- 1viewpoints within 5 km
- 11car parks within 3 km
- 3campsites within 10 kmFinneys Caravan Park
- 28places to stay within 10 kmDe Vere Wychwood Park, Crewe Hall Hotel & Spa, Crewe Hall and 25 more
- bird hides within 6 km
- observation towers within 6 km
- visitor centres within 6 km
- restaurants and cafés within 3 km
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit. A low number may just mean nobody has mapped it yet.
In our other atlases
Around Black Firs and Cranberry Bog.
The lakes, beaches, islands, rivers and mountains around this place, and its night sky, in the family's atlases.
Peakyas4 mountains within 25 kmBignall Hill · 7.5 kmThe Cloud343 m · 21 kmBickerton Hill227 m · 25 kmGun373 m · 25 km
Figures from the sister sites' databases (Wikidata, HydroATLAS, GeoNames, OpenStreetMap). Links open when each site is online.
Photographs
The place, as people saw it.
Other places nearby.
Black Firs and Cranberry Bog
United Kingdom
- 56Birdyas Score
- 138Species
- 55Migrants
- 1Threatened
Upper Nene Valley Gravel Pits
United Kingdom · 143 km
- 79Birdyas Score
- 209Species
- 94Migrants
- 7Threatened
Where these figures come from
| Name and type | Wikidata (Q105773567) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Birds | 43,959 open bird records within 6 km (GBIF, CC0 and CC BY 4.0 only; mostly eBird, Cornell Lab of Ornithology) |
| See these records | gbif.org |
| Species | GBIF Backbone Taxonomy · CC BY 4.0; Wikidata (CC0); Wikimedia Commons |
| Altitude | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Temperature and rain | NASA POWER (CERES SYN1deg, 2001–2020; MERRA-2) |
| What is around | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Sister atlases | Peakyas, Islandyas, Darkskyas |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers, canyons, caves, dark skies, viewpoints, birdwatching or forests?
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