Robin retains crown as most frequently recorded species

Jane Powers

November 20 2018, 12:01am, The Times

The results of BirdWatch Ireland’s annual garden bird survey for last winter have been published, with the robin retaining its crown as the most frequently recorded species. Individuals were seen in all 802 of the participating gardens. Blackbird, blue tit, chaffinch, magpie and great tit were next in order of frequency, appearing in more than 90 per cent of gardens. 

Continued  

Robin crowned as Britain's national bird after 200,000-strong ballot

America has the bald eagle, France has the Gallic rooster, and now Britain has the robin.

A nationwide ballot saw more than 200,000 people elect the robin as Britain’s national bird, after it swooped away with 34 per cent of the vote. It beat competition from the barn owl, which came second with 12 per cent, and the blackbird in third with 11 per cent.

People voted online, at ballot boxes in schools and even by postal vote following a campaign to name the country’s national bird launched by ornithologist David Lindo.

Continued ...

Robin makes a home for Christmas in London Sainsbury's, to the delight of festive shoppers

MATT WATTS 

TIM STEWART 

Published: 23 December 2014

Updated: 14:34, 23 December 2014

A robin has taken up residence among the festive displays in a London supermarket.

The red-breasted bird was first spotted two weeks ago at Sainsbury’s in Chiswick, delighting crowds who have flocked to snap photos of the festive visitor bobbing along the shelves and swinging on decorations, including a giant heart-shaped mobile of his cousins.

Attempts to safely trap the bird and usher him back outside have so far failed, and bosses at the superstore in Essex Place are now under pressure to ensure they do not upset his fans while stopping him from feasting on food.

Continued ...

Beijing's red alert for 'lost' robin

CHEEKY robins for all their Christmas charisma are hardly poster pin-ups for the twitching masses.

Published: 10:08, Sun, December 21, 2014

By STUART WINTER

Appearances on greetings cards, wrapping paper and festive tree baubles are one thing but the notion of a cheery redbreast preening in front of hundreds of assembled cameras does sound a little incongruous.

Take a peek at this week's photo and while the robin looks very much like your common-orgarden favourite, the way it was pictured in all its flame-toned glory has become the talk of the birdwatching world.

However this delightful individual has been holding court in Beijing's Temple of Heaven Park, creating the kind of scenes reminiscent of a rarity arrival on the Isles of Scilly or the north Norfolk coast.

How this robin arrived in the Chinese capital thousands of miles from its European home is open to conjecture. There is increasing evidence that small populations of migratory birds often take a "left-hand turn" and fly in the reverse direction in autumn as a survival technique against a possible disaster on their normal wintering ranges.

Whatever the reason for the robin's arrival in Beijing, its presence has been headline news and the talk among China's burgeoning birding community or, to be more accurate, bird photographers who have turned up in huge numbers to get the kind of close up that epitomises the festive season in the UK.

Continued ...

Robin flies to top of poll on Britain's 'national bird'

The robin is poised to be named Britain’s “national bird” as part of a campaign run by David Lindo, a bird watcher and television presenter

By Edward Malnick

8:00AM GMT 02 Nov 2014

It is the perennial favourite of gardeners and plays a starring role on our Christmas cards, and now the robin is poised to be named Britain’s “national bird”.

The red-breasted bird, commonly seen in gardens, parks and woodland, is ahead of the barn owl, kingfisher and blue tit in the final weeks of voting on a shortlist for the title.

The poll, backed by the RSPB, invites members of the public to vote for their favourite bird from a list of 60 candidates.

The top six from the list will emerge when voting closes at the end of this month. A second round of voting next year will then decide the overall winner.

The robin is currently the frontrunner, with around 40 per cent of the vote.

Continued ...

Robin makes nest in golf clubs - Cue crap headlines (Bagman & Robin)

RSPB member gives nature a home in an unexpected place

July 2013. RSPB member Jim Nisbet received a surprise when he looked into his old golf bag to find an enterprising robin had built a snug nest for itself amongst the clubs. After discovering the clever hideaway, Jim left it undisturbed and several weeks later the bag became home to a healthy brood of five robin chicks. 

Jim, from Burnside in South Lanarkshire, said: "Over the last few years a robin has visited the garage and nested, but this year the choice of my spare golf bag was a rather unexpected site. (What would he have done if it hadn't been his spare set? - Terrible dilemma. Ed.)

Continued

Leucistic robin has 'Santa beard'

‘Santa Robin' is timely leucistic bird

December 2012. This remarkable bird has been reported to the British Trust for Ornithology's (BTO) Abnormal Plumage Survey.

The timely ‘Santa Robin', which was seen by Ian Wilson in Derbyshire, is a leucistic bird. This inherited disorder causes parts of a bird's plumage not to have their normal colour and to appear white, often affecting areas around the face and on the wings.

Most common in blackbirds
It's not just Robins that are being spotted through the BTO Abnormal Plumage Survey. In total, over 1,500 birds across more than 35 species - ranging from Blue Tit and Chaffinch to Buzzard and Coot - have already been recorded in the UK's gardens. Blackbirds with unusual white feathers have been logged most often, with members of the crow family, including Jackdaw, Carrion Crow and Rook, also featuring highly.

Continued:  http://www.wildlifeextra.com/go/news/santa-robin.html