Uncommon residents of the rural edges of the town.

Yellowhammers were one of Britain’s commonest birds in the nineteenth century, and there were major immigrations of them in the winter. They declined in numbers in the late 1950s and early 1960s, particularly in south east England, due to the use of organochlorine seed dressings. They have also suffered from the massive loss of hedgerows in arable regions.

Yellowhammers nested in Meadway, Symonds Green in 1949.

They were confirmed as breeding from six of Stevenage’s tetrads in the 1973 Breeding Atlas, from 10 in the 1992 Atlas and, from three in the 2012 Atlas.

At Watery Grove the Common Bird Census recorded a single breeding territory being held in 1975, and their presence during the 1974 and 1977 breeding seasons.

The 2012 Winter Atlas confirmed their presence from six of the tetrads covering Stevenage.

The following large numbers have been recorded: 50 at Box Wood on 30 January and, 16 October 1965; 47 by Hangbois Wood (Great Ashby) on 24 November 1974; 50 coming to roost at Aston End on 6 January 1977 in a mixed flock with Corn and Reed Buntings; a roost of 100 to 150 birds at Box Wood between November 1979 and January 1980; 75 at Norton Green on 5 January 1986; 20 to 30 on various dates at Aston End in 2006; 20 on farmland near Chells Manor on 26 December 2007, which remained until the following new year; 25 at Aston End on 5 November 2010; 20 at the back of Great Ashby on 27 November 2011; 40 at Norton Green Tip on 15 March 2015; 20 at Chesfield Park on 4 January 2018; 35 plus at Chells Manor on 15 October 2021.

A bird ringed at Box Wood on 12 January 1980 was killed at Guilden Morden, Cambridgeshire on 7 May 1980. 135 were ringed in Box Wood in 1979 and 249 were ringed during 1981.