[...] venture out into your garden over the coming days and you'll hopefully come face-to-face with your own resident robin.
Their image has adorned many a Christmas card decorating homes up and down the land, but venture out into your garden over the coming days and you'll hopefully come face-to-face with your own resident robin.
At least one robin has made my garden its home, although on occasions I've had two vying for my attention - or rather scrambling into newly dug soil in search of a tasty morsel or two.
Robins are welcome companions to anyone gardening during winter, and always provide me with a moment to pause and watch. As soon as I spot a robin I try to stand motionless (well, it does provide a break from digging and leaf gathering). Hopefully the robin knows I'm not a threat. They are such trusting birds, unlike so many others. Perhaps it's simply their need for food at this time of year, but robins really do get up close, and don't appear to be scared.
You feel as if they would feed out of your hand, but perhaps that is hoping too much. Instead, any worms turned over during digging are picked out and thrown a safe distance away into a clearing. From its vantage point on a fence, branch or spade handle (yes, they always perch photogenically, don't they) it will soon spot the wiggling worm.
Of course, birds don't just eat worms, and play a big part in picking over trees and soil in search of overwintering pests around the garden. Welcome them in with food and water, provide them with hedges and shrubs for shelter, and they'll reward you by helping control unwanted pests. What's a pest to you is food for them, which is one reason why it pays to lay off the pesticides whenever possible. Without pests there would be no food, and far fewer birds!
The only thing I have to worry about now is making sure I've warmed-up properly before getting stuck into some vigorous digging. The last thing I want is an expensive trip to the physio this week to sort out my back! Gentle exercise, and gentle digging will clear-up the garden nicely before the New Year, but I'll be extra careful where I step as that robin does have a habit of getting under your feet!
Happy digging, and a very Happy New Year!
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