The Robin is a solitary bird, a tiny creature with very fine legs and feet… it will usually only appear on its own and seldom near other, larger birds. Often a Robin will be the first visitor to the garden, before the other birds arrive for breakfast. They sing a mournful song, a waterfall of warbling notes. Often too a Robin’s song will be the last to be heard as dusk falls.
Robins are small but fearless. They fight ferocious territorial battles in springtime. The result of these battles is that there is only ever one Robin at a time visiting the prized territory, which includes our garden. Does your garden robin look different this year? It may not be the same bird.
They can come quite close when you are digging in the soil, waiting to see what you unearth in the way of protein for them. They relish insects, spiders, slugs & small worms, accepting grated cheese from the wildlife gardener & suet pellets & mealworms from the RSPB, good pet shops & mail order.
Robin )Erithacus rubecula) – Natural History Museum = nhm.com
Robins whisk about in short, straight flights. Their red breasts make them stand out against the shady overhang at the back of our garden.
Robins are widespread and their population is thought to be stable. They are threatened by harsh winters, however, losing up to 10% of their body weight during just one freezing winter night. You can help robins build up their fat reserves during the winter by putting bird food, such as mealworms, on your garden bird table – they are a favourite for robins. woodland trust.org
Robins are widespread and their population is thought to be stable. They are threatened by harsh winters, however, losing up to 10% of their body weight during just one freezing winter night. You can help robins build up their fat reserves during the winter by putting bird food, such as mealworms, on your garden bird table – they are a favourite for robins.
My friend Slin married John, who is Greek. They were living in Virginia, watching birds in the garden from the window, one a North American Robin. John said to Slin ‘”Your Robin! So big!”
The North American Robin is more the size of a Thrush when compared with our small, nippy ‘British’ Robin.