Many Brits love spotting robins in their gardens, the small birds with the red breast are a sweet sight any time of year. But there's a simple technique you can use to encourage them to keep returning to your outdoor space.
Robins are particularly common during this time, with many associating them with Christmas, making it a joy to see them visiting throughout November and December. But there's one trick to get them to keep coming back and visiting your garden over the Winter period.
According to Kingsyard Official, a company that manufactures bird feeders, adding one specific fruit to your feeder can attract robins to your garden this winter. The best part is that you likely already have this common fruit at home, making it easy to implement.
It's important to care for wildlife and support them as much as possible, and so by taking certain steps, you can help robins thrive this winter, as reported by the Mirror.
Kingsyard Official revealed on Instagram: "How to attract robins to your feeders? American robins aren't typical feeder visitors, but they love open ground and platform feeders.
"Try adding apple slices, raisins, suet, mealworms or peanut hearts to draw them in. As winter approaches, robins will be looking for fresh water."
Many people don't realise that robins love to eat apples, especially during autumn and winter when their diet shifts from insects to fruits and berries. To attract these birds, you can offer small, fresh apple slices or place them on a bird platform feeder.
Robins are naturally drawn to the berries and fruits found on trees and shrubs, which is why they are often seen foraging for fruit. As temperatures drop and insects become scarcer, fruits become a significant part of their diet.
It's important to ensure that the fruit you provide is in excellent condition. Once it goes mouldy, you should dispose of it and replace it with fresh fruit.
Some experts recommend avoiding high-sugar fruits like grapes, but if you're short on apples, there are other alternatives you can offer. Dried fruits like raisins can work well too. Additionally, robins enjoy pears and chopped peanuts. There are various foods you can provide to help these birds through the winter months.
They also recommend people "Consider setting up a heated bird bath to welcome these beautiful birds during the colder months". However, keeping the water in your bird bath clean to prevent illness is most important.
Robins become much more noticeable throughout the winter months because natural food sources become scarcer. This makes them far more likely to pop up in gardens and at bird tables whilst hunting for grub.
The lack of dense foliage on trees and bushes makes it much easier to spot small creatures. Additionally, some robins from continental Europe migrate to the UK for the winter, which increases the local population.
As Winter approaches and their natural food supplies begin to decrease, robins start to establish their territories for the colder months. This is why they are becoming more noticeable again, and you may even hear them singing their distinctive "autumn song."