The Irish Robin – Wildlife Wednesdays.

Our weekly dive into our beautiful Irish wildlife – This week is the iconic and much loved Robin – The Spideog

Everybody knows the robin is very important, especially around Christmas time. These beautiful little garden birds are a favourite with us all so let’s learn more about them.

This series will help your family reconnect with Ireland’s unique and wonderful wildlife.

Each week we cover a new animal or bird that appears in the Johnny Magory book series.

Here’s some key facts to recap on the Robin:

• Lifespan is approx 2 years in the wild but the oldest recorded was eight years and five months.
• They are the only bird in Ireland that keeps singing right through the winter and unusually the female sings also.
• Adult male and female robins look identical.
• Young robins lack the red breast instead have spotted brown plumage with a scalloped golden pattern on the breast.
• Their diet consists of insects and worms and they are known for following human gardeners for any unearthed opportunities. They have a sweet beak too and with a little patience can be trained to eat from a human hand.
• Males and females pair off annually around mid winter and stay together through to autumn.
• Their nest is made from grass, moss and dead leaves lined with hair and wool. They usually build in a hole in a wall, tree cavity, ivy, or a bank but are known for setting up house in locations including sheds, garages, cars, post boxes and garden barbecues and even in coat pockets!
• Here are some popular parts of the Robin in Irish folklore:
• If a robin stays close to the house in autumn, a harsh winter can be expected.
• Robins are a sure sign of spring and if you make a wish on the first robin of spring before it flies off, you’ll have luck throughout the following year.
• In the Christian tradition, it is thought that a robin tried to remove the thorns from Jesus’ head during the Crucifixion, and that drops of his blood fell onto the bird and stained his breast feathers red forever.
• If you see a robin singing in the open that good weather is on its way, but that if the robin is seen sheltering among the branches of a tree that it will soon rain.
• Also, if the first bird that you see on St Valentine’s Day, it means that you are destined to marry a sailor!
• In our house, the Robin is sent by Santy to report back good behaviour

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