If you’re hoping for beautiful robin birds to return to your garden this winter, there is one gardening task you’re best off avoiding. These red-breasted creatures – symbolic of lost loved ones in British folklore – are now building nests for the upcoming spring.
Breeding seasons starts as soon as March, which means robins are building sturdy nests in many places, including your garden. Experts at Woodland Trust said: “They have been known to nest in all sorts of weird and wonderful places. Robins usually nest on or close to the ground, in log piles, hollows in tree trunks, hedges and any other tight spaces they come across.”
It’s for this reason that green-thumbed gardeners are advised not to cut back on garden hedges, such as a Privet, Hawthorn, Ivy, or Holly bush.
Conservation experts at the RSPB (Royal Society for the Protection of Birds) noted: “Letting Ivy and Holly grow will provide a great place for birds to roost in and shelter from the elements.”
During this nesting season, it’s also advisable to keep any bird bath “ice-free and topped up with fresh, clean water” for the birds to enjoy.
Lending a helping hand with food is also encouraged, with robins liking to eat fruit, seeds, suet, crushed peanuts, sunflower hearts and raisins.
Helping robins to nest
The Woodland Trust recommended leaving out natural fibres in easy-to-reach places in the garden so that robins can use the materials in their nests.
You can also assist robins by placing a nesting box in the garden – “just ensure it has an open front and is placed somewhere discreet, among vegetation such as creepers and shrubs”.
Bird feeders are helpful, too, as food sources can be scarce in the winter time without the assistance of good people.
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