We have spent time in recent years trying to design and cultivate our garden so it attracts a wide variety of wildlife. It is small but very private and well stocked with mature plants. The rear is framed with huge trees and there is always plenty of birdsong and squirrel activity. Bees happily buzz around in the warm sunshine, butterflies flit from flower to flower and if we are lucky we get a decent crop of tomatoes and cucumbers - always assuming the snails don't get to them first.
Nonetheless we could not seem to attract nesting birds in spring time, or possibly they were very stealthy and remained undetected, but this year was different. Having trained the ivy to reach across to the opposing wall (and create additional cover above a wooden platform), we finally secured a family of robins. That quintessential feature of every Christmas card in the land was good enough to grace us with four bonny babies. Yesterday evening, just before the boys went to sleep, we were all watching the parents flying back and forth to their blossoming brood. It is tiring work and the parents toil flat out to maximise their chirping children's chances of survival.
I will try to take a few more pictures to show development over the coming days. I have to be very quick - darting in to take a snap and being very careful not to disturb them (no flashes used). We won't have much time before they fledge, but it is lovely to know the little garden is doing its bit to support the local wildlife.
Robins will often lay a couple of clutches in one season and sometimes more. This could very well be the first lot and so, with some luck, the same pair will utilise this nest again before the end of July.
Courtship can begin as early as January, but the breeding season normally commences in March. Robins don't like typical bird boxes with round entrances, but they will utilise open fronted varieties. Only the female is involved with nest construction but the male does supply a huge amount of her food during this intensive period. A lot hinges on his ability to supply quality nutrition - it is the difference between a small, weak clutch and a large strong one.
Incubation takes about 2 weeks and it is another 2 weeks until the young fledge. That is right - it only takes about one month for eggs to hatch and the little birdies to fly away.
British Robins stay in the country year round but, interestingly, Nordic examples fly to the Mediterranean because it is just too cold to find food. We are buying a new bird table this year and will do our best to feed the local bird population during the next British winter.
Edit (13/05/13): Our little birds flew the nest a couple of days after taking the first pics, so no chance of additional images. Hopefully they will use the same nest again before the end of this season.
