Nature Diary: Robin associated with winter cheer

Robins and other common garden birds

Probably Ireland’s best known garden bird, the robin is a benign symbol of cold, frosty short winter days.  The red-breasted birds often feature on Christmas cards – possibly because of their round plumpness (which occurs when the birds fluff out their feathers to keep warm) is associated with Christmas cheer.   Their birdsong is a series of low notes, ranging up and down the scale.  Happy to stay close to humans and in the same area for a long time, they eat insects, worms and fruit from garden bird tables.  If they survive the first year of life, they can live up to ten years.

Wrens, blackbirds, song thrushes, starlings and sparrow are other birds which feature in Ireland’s top 20 garden birds. And Birdwatch Ireland invite people to record the different species they see until February on their Garden Birds survey.

See birdwatchireland.ie