A European Robin sitting on a branch of the Honeysuckle tree in our small back garden. He is seen in profile, facing right, amidst the green leaves above (and way down at the bottom) of the naturally peeling, light brown branches & trunks of the tree. Americans-such as myself-may be surprised at how different the European Robin is from Robins we’ve grown up seeing in North America. European Robins are quite small, with orange-red breasts (hence why they’re often referred to as Robin Redbreast in old folk songs & poems, etc). That red is like an upside-down heart, the curved parts on its actual breast, the rest narrowing upward to cover the area around its sharp pointed beak & around its beady little eye. The feathers below the red breast are light grey, encompassing most of its body. While its back & wing feathers are a light brown. It has tiny but sharp-clawed feet, suited to clinging to any branch. This one perched long enough on a lower branch of the Honeysuckle for amb to get a rare photo of a bird who’s such a constant-but also swift- visitor. He-or she, for they look the same-are almost always the first to fly in seeking food & will wait-sometimes a bit impatiently😅-for that bird food to be set out on the table. They will even hang around waiting whilst the table is being thoroughly cleaned & dried (Very Important task to do on a frequent basis!) before fresh food’s set out. But they also seek & find Nature’s food in our garden: insects, worms, etc. They’re very cheeky & seem rather sweet but are known to fight fiercely over territory. The male’s beautiful song is part of laying claim to a territory, as well as-this time of year especially-trying to hopefully impress a possible mate. We love the many Robins who’ve been coming to our little oasis of a garden for decades now. They remain a constant & have such cheeky personalities, as well as blessing the earliest morning light & even hours beyond sundown, with their song.🙏Garden For Wildlife~tam💞
#Robin in the Honeysuckle #tree in our sm. #garden #Robins have been visiting/pairing/nesting nearby/coming to feed-both at our table & finding #Nature ‘s food-for yrs. Cheeky, bold, unafraid & adorable these wee, lovely welcome #birds sing fr/Dawn well past Dusk. #Garden4Wildlife #photography -amb
