Robin's Winter Song

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In extreme weather, several Robins can be seen feeding in the one spot. This suggests that the setting up of territory in the autumn has nothing to do with food provision. One fable holds that when the baby Jesus was in his manger, the fire lit to keep him warm blazed up very strongly. A brown bird placed himself between the fire and Jesus, fluffed out his feathers, but got its breast scorched by the fire, and the Robin was the result. In the period just before the onset of this autumnal territorial behaviour, Robins are hard to find. We tend to think of the Robin as just being there, but if you keep notes on the birds you see in your garden or on your patch, you may well have noticed that in the second half of the summer these common little birds are not so easily seen. In group discussion, ask the children if they have ever seen this type of bird and how it can be recognised. Access-restricted-item true Addeddate 2021-02-06 14:01:29 Boxid IA40056617 Camera Sony Alpha-A6300 (Control) Collection_set printdisabled External-identifier

Before you start reading talk about the cover image together. Has your child seen a robin in a garden or park? Read the story aloud to your child pausing to talk about the illustrations and what is happening when your child wants to. Re read Since females rarely sing, one of the more obvious ways to distinguish males from females – at least during breeding season – is to notice which bird is singing. What is the perfect habitat for robins? It is a theory put forward by many, and similar behaviour is seen in other species in different parts of the world at the end of the summer, but if this is so, why is it that the Robin is virtually unique among British birds in this? One theory is that, at the time the sending of Christmas cards first became popular, in the 1860s, postmen wore bright red uniforms, and were so sometimes called ‘Robins’ – early Christmas cards include designs in which the bird bears an envelope in its bill.Ocr tesseract 4.1.1 Ocr_detected_lang en Ocr_detected_lang_conf 1.0000 Ocr_detected_script Latin Ocr_detected_script_conf 0.8923 Ocr_module_version 0.0.11 Ocr_parameters -l eng Old_pallet IA-NS-2000215 Openlibrary_edition Robin’s Winter Song would bea wonderfulbook to use in the classroom as part of a topic on seasons. As well as portrayingthe different characteristics of autumn and winter it shows how animals and birds behave during the seasons and also includes the concept of hibernation – we love the way that Beartells Robin that there’s just one sleep until winter goes away!It’s also a greatstoryto stimulate a discussion about change and the uncertainty that children may feel when they don’t fully understand a new situation or experience. It won’t be long before the species that won last year’s Vote for Britain’s National Bird will be staring at you from the corner of your living-room. The Robin, quite possibly hopping around in the sort of snowfall we rarely see in December, and maybe even sporting a Santa hat, will be the star of a good many of the Christmas cards that you receive. The other puzzle is why the males expend lots of time and energy in establishing and defending a territory in the autumn. If it’s not for breeding purposes, or food, what is going on? There are a number of theories, but none are conclusive.

The illustrations look like they're a mixture of drawing and some sort of collage, either paper or fabric (I'm not really sure). They're really cute, in any case. There are nice little touches with leaves, pine needles, and (eventually) crocuses embellishing the illustrations, which helps show the passage of the seasons.The males of the previous breeding season’s territories tend to remain resident within them, although the boundaries may be slightly modified. The female will sometimes also defend a territory near to the breeding one, but they are more likely to move away. Most of our breeding Robins are sedentary in nature, although some will disperse to breed in a new area. Some individuals appear to undertake migratory movements and many Robins from colder countries like Scandinavia and Finland will pass through Britain in the autumn en route to Iberia or North Africa. Some of these birds will remain in Britain for the winter.

I often wonder whether the Robins I see on my Extremadura patch in the winter are the same Robins I see on my British patch in the spring and summer! They start this southerly journey at the same time the birds that are staying behind start their autumnal song. Robin’s Winter Song is a beautifully illustrated picture book that is the perfect read for this time of year. Autumn is almost over and winter is coming. But what exactly is winter? Collect autumn leaves and make leaf prints. You will need paint and paper. You could also make sponge prints of birds and decorate with collage paper wings when dry. Make a Snowflake cardTalk about anything that is puzzling eg the idea of birds flying south or bears having ‘one long sleep’ in the winter Robins are real water lovers; often found near bodies of water and in humid places. If you don’t want to install a pond in your garden right away, however, set out a bird bath. Your garden robins will be happy for it and are sure to splash around in the warmer months. Robins are happy to use bird boxes, but they do prefer large entrances–about 10 centimetres high. Spotted flycatchers, wagtails and wrens will also make use of a birdhouse with such a large opening. You can find more tips on the materials and dimensions for your birdhouse, and how best to clean it in our article on building your own bird box. How can I support robins even more?

urn:lcp:robinswintersong0000bart:epub:f0c9219e-f47c-4d20-aa3d-d50be71f697c Foldoutcount 0 Identifier robinswintersong0000bart Identifier-ark ark:/13960/t3xt5tn51 Invoice 1652 Isbn 9781408859148 Robins prefer breeding near water, in deciduous, mixed or coniferous forests, as well as in man-made parks and gardens. Since they look for food mainly on the ground, areas with a little undergrowth are best. Where do robins build their nests? So manythemes that are familiar to children areincluded in Robin’s Winter Song– friendship, uncertainty, the changing of the seasons, dealing with new experiences. It would make a fabulous addition to a home or school library. Robins breed from March to July, raising up to 3 clutches. The female incubates her eggs for about 14 days, while her partner supplies her with food. After hatching, the young are fed in the nest for another 14 days. This is a dangerous time for the young hatchlings. Since the nest is so close to the ground, they are susceptible to nest robbers like cats and magpies. And it’s precisely because of this danger, that robins will often begin building their second nest before the first brood is fully independent. Where do robins spend the winter? But, there seems to have been an earlier association between the bird and the Christmas period, and Christianity more generally.So why are they singing? Well, as in the spring, it’s to establish a territory, but, unlike in spring, they’re not singing to attract a mate to it. This territory is not for sharing. The Robin is well known for being a belligerent defender of its territory, and in early autumn they’re at their most aggressive as they compete with one another to establish the ownership of their autumn and winter quarters. ROBINS DEFENDING THEIR TERRITORY Make a robin finger puppet for your child to hold while you re read the story. Encourage them to join in with what the robin says and thinks – eg “ What are you doing?” , “Winter must be very scary!” Re-tell the story One thing for certain is that there will be a reason – small birds are not going to expend vast amounts of energy flying hundreds of miles on a whim. It goes to show that we have lots to learn when it comes to bird behaviour, even for our most familiar species. There are several ways to make it easier for robins to settle in your garden. Especially in winter, garden birds often need additional support because their natural food supply is insufficient. What do robins eat? In fact, the word ‘move’ doesn’t really do this justice; a better word would be migrate. We don’t tend to think of our humble Robin as a migratory bird, but in the east of its range it is a true migrant, with Scandinavian, eastern European and Russian birds all leaving their breeding areas for milder winter ones.