23 Tuesday Jun 2026
Posted in birds
≈ Comments Off on A sweet young Robin
Is this not the sweetest little Robin you’ve ever seen?
I simply can’t walk past a juvenile Robin without stopping to say hello.
Though their feathers look nothing like those of adult Robins – no red breast to be seen, they already act like adults: confiding, curious, bobbing their heads and flicking up their tails.
And so, of course, I had to stop, pull out my camera, and take far too many photos while this sweet young Robin posed like a professional model.
23 Friday Jan 2026
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Overlooking the west lake at Cosmeston Lakes Country Park is a small viewpoint that is home to a little Robin. Whenever I stop there to check for any new waterfowl on the lake, the Robin always pops out and gives me that stare that Robins do so well – the ‘Feed me’ stare. If I have any food with me, I always give in!
Now, Robins may look cute and appealing but they also have a nasty streak and can be quite vicious when defending their territory or, in this case, tasty berry-flavoured suet pellets. The Robin managed to chase away a Dunnock, a Blue tit and a Great tit but then it met its match.
Not one, but two Brown rats must’ve heard the commotion and surmised correctly that food was on offer, and they easily bullied the little birds out of the way, even the feisty little Robin. I never knew rats liked suet pellets but then I guess rats will eat pretty much anything.
29 Saturday Nov 2025
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Just because I adore these cheeky little characters …
02 Tuesday Sep 2025
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≈ Comments Off on Avian juveniles
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birding, birdwatching, British birds, Chiffchaff, Collared dove, fledglings, juvenile birds, long-tailed tit, robin, Stonechat, young birds
I feel like we haven’t had enough birds on here lately so let’s take a look at some of this year’s juveniles …
There are quite a lot of young Chiffchaffs flitting around the trees and bushes now, in the throes of making their first migration flights south for the winter, though, with the warming climate, many Chiffchiffs also now over-winter in southern parts of Britain.
This was the first juvenile Collared dove I’d ever seen and it was probably the fact that it was a juvenile that made it much less wary of this photographer’s lens than its parents would’ve been.
Though it hardly seems possible to be more adorable than an adult Long-tailed tit, I think the offspring outdo their parents in the cuteness department.
Likewise young Robins, which are even more endearing and much less feisty than the adult versions. And I do think their juvenile plumage is very attractive too.
This little one was my first juvenile Stonechat of the year, spotted last week at the local country park with an adult male. These birds will also be in the process of moving from their more northerly breeding grounds to warmer winter climes.
15 Saturday Mar 2025
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For no particular reason I am feeling the need for some good cheer today, and what better little bird to provide that cheery feeling than a cute wee Robin with its bouncy melody. Happy Saturday, everyone!
01 Monday Jul 2024
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It looked nothing like you would expect a Robin to look – where’s the famous red breast? But as soon as this little fledgling began to hop along the lane in front of me I knew it was a young Robin from the way it moved, and bobbed, and turned its head. It’s the jizz, as we birders say.
05 Tuesday Dec 2023
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I feel for the birds when the temperatures plummet. I’m feeling cosy in hand-knitted woollens, fleece-lined trousers and wind-cutting jacket, whereas all they can do is fluff up their feathers to retain a layer of warmth close to their skin. It seems to work for them though, as long as it doesn’t get too cold. And little birds like these Robins are even more adorable than usual when they look like little balls of fluff.
16 Thursday Mar 2023
Posted in birds
Tags
birding, birdwatching, British birds, courtship feeding in birds, robin, robin courtship feeding
I was seconds too slow to catch the actual moment Mr Robin presented his potential mate with this courtship gift, a gigantic Ivy berry. From what I’ve read, this behaviour may help to convince the female of the male’s suitability as a mate and, according to the RSPB website, the feeding continues through the nest building phase and while the female is laying her eggs, one a day for 4 to 6 days, helping the female maintain her body weight.
With the feeding I witnessed, I’m not sure whether the courtship was successful. The male had rather overestimated the size of the female’s mouth and, from the look on her face, she didn’t know whether to be flattered or insulted. The moment the male flew away, she let the berry drop to the ground.
01 Sunday Jan 2023
Posted in birds
In previous years my first birds, seen or heard, have variously been a wee Robin that would tick-tick-tick its way around the tree at the front of my flat in the pre-dawn light, one of the many Lesser black-backed gulls that whirl around this seaside town, and a Blackbird whose alarm call rang out while I was still abed, probably in response to a prowling cat. This year, as last year and the year before, it was a little Robin, this one singing a merry tune as it sat in the tree. The RSPB website says Robins usually only live a couple of years but the oldest recorded was 11 years 5 months, so this could possibly be the same bird as in previous years.
10 Saturday Dec 2022
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A hard frost coated everything with a thick layer of ice this morning, the ground crunched under my boots, and my handknits were keeping my extremities warm and cosy. Without the luxury of thermals or boots or knitwear, my little Robin friend was keeping itself warm by puffing up its feathers, making it look like a cute little fluffball.
