Why these bold little birds are associated with Christmas
I love garden birds, but none more so than robins, so much so that I had a mutated Goth version tattooed on my forearm! Thanks to the RSPB for this helpful guide on how to help robins survive winter.
Despite being around all year, robins are associated with the festive season, believed to have begun when scarlet-jacketed postmen were delivering Christmas cards. Crowned the UK’s national bird in 1960, they’re feisty little bleeders, as they hold their territories all year, warning off intruders with song.
Help robins survive winter – Attacking any rivals
Males can hold the same territory throughout their lives and will attack a bundle of red feathers or their own reflection if they think it’s a rival. Robins are often the only birds singing during the winter, usually under artificial lights. Males and females look identical, but young birds have no red breast and are spotted with golden brown.
Devouring worms and invertebrates
They truly are the gardener’s friend, waiting for us to turn the soil over and devour worms or other invertebrates. The robin is common in the UK, with a green listing (not threatened) and they number 6 million, increasing since the mid-1980s, reflected in the milder winters we are experiencing.
You can do three things to help robins: provide food, water and shelter. Put out a bird bath or a dish of water with a table tennis ball on the surface to stop it from freezing over.
Help robins survive winter – Mealworms are favourites
Robins will eat a range of seeds, suet or fat balls and are fond of mealworms. Piles of logs and leaf litter will house spiders and invertebrates. Ivy is great, providing shelter and food during winter and spaces to nest in spring. The birds breed from May-July, the female laying between 4-6 eggs, white with sandy or reddish freckles. Incubation: takes 13-14 days, with the young fledging after 12-14 days.
An open-fronted nest box on a wall, shed or tree will give them somewhere to nest during the spring and summer and a roost in winter. Place it out of the wind and rain – a North-Easterly direction is best. Make sure it isn’t in too obvious a place. Robins will also nest in hedges so planting with wildlife in mind is beneficial.
For more information, visit www.rspb.org.uk.
