Rockin’ Robins
It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas here on the Heath. The hedges are festooned with berries and we’ve had a covering of snow. But nothing rocks Christmas like a red, red robin, bob, bob, bobbing along…
Robin - photo c. Keir Chauhan
Christmas tweetings
Like many Christmas traditions, we have the Victorians to thank for putting the European robin Erithacus rubecula top of the Christmas card tree. To popularize the Penny Post in the mid-nineteenth century, someone came up with the idea of sending Christmas cards. The Victorian postmen wore bright red coats and were affectionately known as ‘robins’, so it wasn’t long before real robins appeared on cards wearing a postman’s uniform, often carrying cards in their beaks.
This tradition is also helped by the Robin’s all-round ‘cuteness’, with plump plumage and a doe-eyed expression. Of course, birds fluff-up their feathers to insulate themselves from the winter cold. Meanwhile, those big eyes have evolved to better spot prey in low light, enabling robins to catch the ‘early worm’. This keen vision also means the robin is one of the first birds to begin the dawn chorus, and the last to stop singing at night, even in the winter when they sing to defend their territories. The robin’s iconic red breast also serves as a territorial signal.
‘Boaring’ gardeners
Arguably the nation’s favourite and most recognisable bird, the robin’s enduring popularity stems from their confiding nature. It would be nice to think that robins enjoy hanging out with us gardeners as much as we delight in them – we certainly do on the Heath. But the truth is, they think we’re just a bunch of old ‘boars’!
It seems that our robins’ endearing habit of bobbing along beside us for juicy worms is just a legacy from when they followed foraging Wild Boars. When boars went extinct in Britain, the resourceful robin adopted gardeners to be a worthy substitute. Lucky us!
Glad tidings
The robin’s special relationship with gardeners seems to be paying off. Robins have managed to buck the trend of UK bird declines, with a 45% increase! Which just goes to show robins really do rock – and not just for Christmas.
With their population increasing, we have been busy making sure robins can continue to thrive on the Heath and call it their home. If you would like to support Hampstead Hands in taking care of our robins and their habitat this festive season, do consider supporting our wildlife habitats appeal.
