Churchyard Nature Note with Andrew Tompsett
December 2011
Robins also enjoy Christmas
Art thou the bird whom man loves best,
The pious bird with scarlet breast
William Wordsworth 1770 – 1850.
The robin, a regular inhabitant of the churchyard and gardens will shortly be seen, once again, in various poses, on a million Christmas cards. The Redbreast, more than any bird seems to convey cheerful and faithful feelings and with a background of
snow tells of its hardiness and loyalty at the most testing time of year.
The robins friendliness towards us, its cheery song, even at night, endear it to us and resulted in its official recognition as our national bird in 1960. Its red breast, said to be gained as it struggled to remove the crown of thorns from Jesus’ head, has added
to its religious status.
A good CV so far! But all is not total harmony in the robin world. That friendly partner in your garden, perching on the garden fork,
is, for much of the year, an ill-tempered bully towards other birds, especially those of its own kind. Also, what you claim as ‘your’ friendly robin may in fact be a different bird from the one that was on your bird table last week. You just can’t tell.
However, in the final weeks of the old year a spirit of Christmas goodwill gradually takes over and male robins, who throughout the rest of the year have been fiercely defending their patch, become more tolerant, particularly towards the females. In the hope of attracting a mate he sings more pleasantly than formerly and shows off his finest plumage. After a period of good-natured chasing about, a couple may be seen foraging peacefully together on the lawn. Though this may not yet be a marriage it is a sign that bird minds are turning to the springtime business of nesting and raising a family. Later, robins select a hollow in the garden wall, an old flower pot or discarded kettle, in which to build a nest and we are again amused and grateful for their trusting nature and close connection with us.
A final suggestion. Since robins give us so much pleasure would you consider keeping your cat indoors a much as possible when the young robins fledge in Maytime? Their trusting nature does seem to make them very easy prey.