Species - Robin (Erithacus Rubecula)
Location - Various
Grid Ref - Various
As the Robin is one of our favourite birds in the UK and it features on many of our Christmas cards, it just had to be the bird of choice for December. I am lucky enough to have a resident Robin living in a small tree to the back of my house, but they can be seen in most places in the UK. On visits to Old Moor RSPB reserve there is a Robin living near to the family hide that will feed from your hand, although its an amazing experience I can’t decide whether its a good or bad thing.
They are one of the first birds to start the dawn chorus, and can sing long into the night after sunset. There are various myths and legends involving the Robin, and it was said it was bad luck to kill one. Even when egg collecting was a popular past time in the Victorian era, egg collectors would leave the eggs of Robins for fear of being cursed. In some legends, it was an all-brown bird until it was touched with the blood of Christ as he hung on the Cross, in some versions a Robin was singing into his ear to alleviate the agony of his final moments, in another version a Robin was attempting to pluck out the nails or the thorns from the crown, and another version has the Robin trying to staunch the wound in Christ’s side made by the legionary’s lance. Either way I still enjoy watching them and listening to their melodic tones.
