Its plump round body, long slim tail, large black eyes and spindly legs on which it hops and bobs whilst feeding, the robin is one of our best known birds.
Known as ‘the gardener’s friend’ this little chap likes to follow the digging spade feeding on the unearthed bugs, snails and worms. A member of the thrush family the European Robin (Erithacus rubecula) with its famous bright-red breast is also known for its all-year-round song.
Woodlands, parks and hedgerows will provide opportunities to see one of these charming birds and if you want to encourage them into the garden then put out live mealworms – their favourite snack!
(This post is for my eldest son as he turns 40 on 06 February in Sydney, Australia. He is actually called Rohan, but on the telegram sent to my parents in England from South Africa where he was born it said ‘Roban’ – my parents thought there was a spelling mistake and called him Robin! So Happy Birthday Rohan/Robin xx)
TRAVEL WORDS 
They are so gorgeous. And tiny.
And sing beautifully 🙂
Oh, ‘ll have to go and listen, thanks for that. I wonder if they sound like our Cape Robin?
And do they?
They’re surprisingly similar although the English robin is prettier. They’re both incredibly vocal though.
Thank you. Are they similar to the ones in the US then which are bigger and have a larger red front. I never really took any notice of the birds when I lived in SA. Regret that now.
I have a few pics on my blog. Will post a link just now. They are bigger and like the English ones they follow the spade and they LOVE water. If you put the sprinkler on they will appear from nowhere. The Cape Robin Chat as it’s now called (they renamed it) is very territorial and shy and never still for long. Sadly part of the breeding pair that lived in my garden got killed in a rat trap. I was gutted for weeks. It’s the first bird I hear in the morning – they are up long before everyone else.
Not my best work ever but here’s the link. This, sadly, is the one who is no more.
Lovely. Thanks again Karen.
Lovely Robin. Great little bird that follows the spade.
…now if only I had a garden in which to use a spade 😦
Nice blurred backgrounds Jude. Robins make good subjects for photos, almost tame.
Is ‘Rohan’ named after the place in LOTR I wonder? Happy 40th to him.
Regards as always, Pete. x
no getting anything past you Pete 🙂
Well, I should’ve loved to have someone send me a message all about robins, Jude ! – a delightful gesture ! 🙂
I was very confused at first when my mother wrote to me asking about Robin! Funnily enough we do now have a Robyn in the family, one of my granddaughters.
I like the way you casually toss that phrase in … ridiculous ! – you cannot possibly have granddaughters ! 😀
Fourth one born this morning! But so sweet of you 🙂
Congratulations to those relevant. [grin]
Splendid pix, Jude. I love your header too.
I thought the header almost looked like a birthday cake 🙂
🙂
Beautiful pictures. Robins don’t seem to get enough praise or ohs and ahs. I usually see one or two around, but one time a whole flock landed in our backyard. They fed for a while and then went on. I like them. 🙂
I see them a lot in the woodland around here, I love the way they bob about eating and their lovely singing. Sweet little birds.
What beautiful photos of a beautiful bird. The Robins in the United States look so different. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Yes, I think your robins are much bigger?
They are much bigger and their entire breast is red.
They still have a lovely song 🙂
Absolutely! I am always so happy to see them after winter- they are one of the first signs of spring 🙂
Can’t help but love this little round fellow. ❤ ❤ ❤
Happy birthday to Rohan. At least the mistake the telegraphist made was a delightful one. 🙂
Indeed, if not a little confusing.
The Robin is our favourite bird and last year we were lucky enough to have a nest and fledglings situated in a bush in our back garden. In our previous house we had robins come into the lounge on two separate occasions! We took that as a good sign that robins like us too!
They are very cheeky birds! So nice to have them around your house.
A lovely birthday post for your son. Happy birthday, Rohan! Lovely video too. We have yellow breasted robins who also like to follow the spade – or rake. My best encounters were when we we raking up leaf litter to reduce fire hazard (and incidentally to provide piles for lyre birds to scratch undone). The came quite close on the ground and ran up nearby tree trunks. I like the header. Should have had lessons while I had you in the house!