Robins - encourage them into your garden

The robin is the UK's favourite garden bird - could this be because they are so easily identifiable?

With their red breast and chirpy manner, they are easy to spot.  Perfect for children to get into wildlife - you can just tell them to look for the bird with the red tummy, at the very simplest level.  

You can spot them all the year round and they sing nearly all year round too.  The younger birds have no red breast and are spotted with golden brown. 

There's a lovely poem** about Robins through the seasons and it goes like this:

Robin sang sweetly
When the days were bright;
"Thanks, thanks for summer,"
He sang with all his might.

Robin sang sweetly 
In the autumn days,
"There are fruits for everyone,
Let us all give praise."

In the cold and wintry weather
Still hear his song;
"Somebody must sing," said Robin,
"Or winter will seem long."

When the spring came back again,
He sang, "I told you so!
Keep on singing through the winter
and it will always go."

This poem for me sums up the cheerful merry nature of robin and I love the way he takes us through the seasons.   

For all their chirpiness, robins are very territorial, at some times for breeding purposes and others for feeding reasons.   Garden Bird have lots of further information about robins and also the British Trust for Ornithology has lots of details about them too.

Super suet balls from the
RSPB's Online Shop
from £2.00

Robin Brushwood Nest from the RSPB
£9.99

Robin Soft Toy Singing Bird from the RSPB