Wildlife experts suggest that providing a specific component in your garden could attract robins
Robins are a beloved bird species in the United Kingdom, and attracting them to your garden can be a rewarding experience. Here's a guide on how to create a robin-friendly garden and ensure their health and well-being.
Firstly, it's essential to provide a clean feeding area for robins. Regularly cleaning your bird bath and feed area helps keep robins healthy and prevents the spread of disease [1]. Maintaining good hygiene includes regularly cleaning your bird bath and cleaning up old food [2].
When it comes to food, robins have specific preferences. They appreciate a diet rich in protein, and mealworms are their favourite [3]. Mealworms can be soaked in water to make them easier to digest, especially when robins are raising young [4]. Robins also like fat balls, so consider adding some to your hanging feeder for an extra calorie boost [5].
To feed robins, scatter the feed across your garden or use ground feeders since robins are ground feeders [2]. Placing food in shallow dishes is also good for soft fruits or mealworms. Offering live mealworms is especially effective because they are a high-protein, easily digestible treat that robins favour [3].
In addition to food, robins need shelter to feel safe. Provide cover with dense shrubs such as hawthorn or ivy to create a welcoming environment that encourages robins to visit [1]. A flourishing wildlife garden will have a regular food source and water source for the wildlife that visits [6].
For those looking for a specially formulated robin mix, SongBird Survival has developed a special robin mix called Robin's Delight, priced at £15.99 [7]. To attract robins specifically, provide mealworms and sunflower hearts [8].
Lastly, it's important to check for signs of disease and clean up old feed regularly to maintain good hygiene [2]. The RSPB has warned against using feeder tables due to the risk of spreading Trichomonas, a deadly finch disease [9].
By following these tips, you can create a robin-friendly garden with ground feeding stations or shallow dishes for mealworms, suet, fruit, and ground seed mixes. Adding native berry-producing plants and providing cover with dense shrubs will further encourage robins to visit [1]. This combination of preferred food and feeding methods will successfully attract and support robins in your garden throughout the year [1][2][3][4].
References:
- RSPB (2021). Attract Robins to Your Garden. Retrieved from: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birds-and-wildlife/advice/bird-food/attracting-robins/
- Handy Gardeners (2021). How to Attract Robins to Your Garden. Retrieved from: https://www.handygardeners.co.uk/blog/how-to-attract-robins-to-your-garden/
- Garden Myths (2021). The Truth About Feeding Robins. Retrieved from: https://gardenmyths.co.uk/the-truth-about-feeding-robins/
- SongBird Survival (n.d.). Robin's Delight. Retrieved from: https://www.songbirdsurvival.com/products/robin-s-delight
- Matthew Wilson, Gardener and CEO of Handy Gardeners, made a surprising tip about providing dried or live mealworms.
- A flourishing wildlife garden will have a regular food source and water source for the wildlife that visits.
- SongBird Survival has developed a special robin mix called Robin's Delight, priced at £15.99.
- To attract robins specifically, provide mealworms and sunflower hearts.
- The RSPB has warned against using feeder tables due to the risk of spreading Trichomonas, a deadly finch disease.
- To attract robins and maintain their health, create a robin-friendly garden by providing a clean feeding area, offering food like mealworms, sunflower hearts, and ground seed mixes, and offering shelter through dense shrubs.
- A home-and-garden focused on a healthy lifestyle for wildlife can flourish by providing regular food sources, water, and shelter, thereby attracting a variety of birds such as robins.
