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NATURE NOTES: WHAT DOES A ROBIN SING?

NATURE NOTES: WHAT DOES A ROBIN SING?

Local writer and former vice-chairman of the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators, Tony Drakeford, highlights what’s happening in nature on our doorsteps.

IMAGE AND WORDS: Tony Drakeford 

Three cheers for our friendly garden robins! Birdsong has faded away now as birds have finished nesting and are undergoing their autumn moult. But robins continue to serenade us with their rather wistful refrain that somewhat reflects our own sombre autumnal mood. Sexes are similar and unusually among birds, both male and female sing and they often perform at night especially near street lamps, prompting some people to think they have heard a nightingale, but the latter species won’t grace our shores until next May.  

Robins will continue to sing throughout the winter months proclaiming their territories ready for next spring. Indeed, robins are fiercely territorial and will defend their chosen patches vigorously. We may occasionally spot a robin with a rather tattered head which shows that he has been fighting a rival, sometimes to the death! This demonstrates that the birds are not as innocent as we might imagine as they follow us around the garden when we tidy up the flower beds. Their incredible eyesight enables them to spot a worm from many metres away.  

Tony Drakeford was the vice-chairman of the Wimbledon and Putney Commons Conservators and has written several books on the subject of the common’s wildlife. He is a fellow of the Royal Entomological Society