Looking after our robins

The robin is one of the UK's favorite garden birds. Always a pleasure to see, with its bright red breast hopping around the garden, robin numbers are generally on the increase, up 45% since 1970, and it has held its position steady at number 9 in Britain's Big Garden Birdwatch in 2012 and 2013. Robins tend to feed off the ground or a feeding table, but occassionally are seen snatching sunflowers seeds from hanging feeders whilst part standing and part hovering. The ones in our garden often grab the seeds dropped on the ground by messy Goldfinches. Mealworms are a particular favorite wintertime treat. A nest box may well encourage a robin to nest in your garden especially if more natural options are sparse, and now is a good time to put one up, as it may also be used as a roost over winter prior to nesting in the spring. Boxes should be open fronted and located close to the ground (below 2 m) concealed behind vegetation to protect them from predators such as domestic cats, and provide shelter from the weather. On a fence behind dense shrubs is ideal, or on a stake hammered into the ground in the middle of a free standing shrub as shown below.

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