Joy of seeing cheeky chap growing up
WORKING outdoors really brings you much closer to nature - even if you are just doing the gardening.
Earlier in summer, I was trying to tidy up one of our bushes when I heard a rustling inside the plant.
Out popped a young robin, with the first signs of a red breast but still showing those lovely, spotty brown feathers of youth.
Young robins are a mix of brown, yellow and red streaks - it’s almost as though their colours all slide to the front for the adult red breast.
They are cheeky birds right from the start and that youngster popped out of the bush in the expectation that I was going to dig up some worms for it to feast upon.
I am delighted to say that since that day, we have been able to watch the robin grow and change colour.
He is still not fully formed as a Robin Redbreast of lore, but he has gradually changed and is looking big and healthy.
In fact, the best bit of today has been watching him catch and eat a worm while sitting on the wall right outside my back window.
Another good thing is that there don’t appear to be any other robins around the garden at the moment, so this might be his territory and he will be paying us visits throughout the rest of the year.
Robins tend to defend their territory really aggressively.
So, if you see one bird, that is likely to be the only one you will see.
If another wanders onto the scene there will almost definitely be a scrap.
Of course robins are the UK’s favourite bird and to see them grow up day-by-day, week-byweek is absolutely wonderful.
Robins are one of the first birds to sing in the dawn chorus, which has quietened down a bit since the breeding season, but you still find the odd bird sitting on top of a bush singing its little heart out. Robins: what’s not to like?
Remember to keep your bird table stocked as we head into the colder months.
I was going to say wetter but it would be difficult to be much wetter than the summer.
Bird tables should be clean and with a variety of food.
Robins like mealworms, but just stick a spade in the garden a couple of times a week to uncover some worms and your robins will reward you with regular, cheeky visits.
To support the work of the Wildlife Trust for Lancashire, Manchester and North Merseyside, text WILD09 with the amount you want to donate to 70070 To become a member of the Trust go to the website at www. lancswt.org.uk or call 01772 324 129.
For more information about Cheshire Wildlife Trust call 01948 820 728 or go to cheshirewildlifetrust. org.uk.