My Friend, the Robin

Recently around the garden I have been followed everywhere by this little robin. I first saw it a few weeks ago when I was in what we rather grandly call, “the orchard”. Actually its a small corner of the garden with a few fruit trees, but we allow ourselves delusions of grandeur at times. I was picking some damsons and there it was, flitting from branch to branch, watching me intently. Since then, I have noticed that whenever I am outside doing something, he (or she?) is there close by keeping an eye on me.

Sometimes it gets extremely close; almost close enough to reach out and touch it. Not that it would let me of course. I like to think that it has come to keep me company while I am busy doing various jobs. Of course, it is doing nothing of the sort. It knows that whatever I am doing, I am providing food, whether that should be unearthing insects as I dig, or dropping bits of fruit as I pick them off the trees. I think actually it just sees me as a source of food!

Up until now it has proved to be rather camera shy, flying off into the bushes every time I go in to get the camera. Today though, I was digging out some holes for some fence posts and there it was, right next to me. This time I managed to get some pictures, most of which were quite blurred as it refused to stand still!

It is still remarkably mild at the moment for October, but as it gets colder we will put out some food for the birds that visit our garden. Hopefully this will help to see them through until the spring. We usually buy ours from the RSPB Shop as the profits are put back in to helping birds and other wildlife.

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