Meet the Animals

Our main robin's nest, as seen on the webcams, is beside the car park here at Pensthorpe. We found another nest in the roof of a house while looking for barn owls.

Missed something? Catch up with the robin family here.

Species information

Robin 'redbreast', one of our best loved birds, with its distinctive red face and breast, brown plumage and white belly is also one of the most easily recognisable. A true songster, the robin has a very rich and melodious song that can be heard all year round, even throughout winter. It will also sing after dark when next to street lights. Listen out also for the loud 'tic-tic-tic' alarm call.

Male and female robins are almost identical. The species is perhaps most associated with Christmas time when their colours are boldest. It may look sweet and shy but it's aggressively territorial. Robins mainly find their food on the ground, from insects and berries to worms freshly uncovered by gardeners.

How to help

Attracting robins to your garden could not be easier. Try putting food on a bird table. Robins like mealworms, fat, crushed biscuits and peanuts. There is help and advice on feeding birds from the RSPB and Breathing Places.

Robins will nest in some unusual places like plant pots and teapots. You could also try making a nest box, and again the RSPB and Breathing Places can advise on this. There is a detailed description of a nest box suitable for a robin available from the BTO as part of the National Nest Box Week.

Perhaps you could join the BTO's Nest Box Challenge for 2009 and help them find out more about the breeding patterns of garden birds.

Tuesday 9th June

Something a little cheery happened over the weekend. Watch the robin chicks fledge.

Monday 8th June

Did you see them leave over the weekend? Good luck guys.

Friday 5th June

These chicks are on the verge of leaving. Will they be brave enough today to make the leap? Watch all the drama on the webcams.

Wednesday 3rd June

These chicks are looking quite comfortable in their nest. Will they leave soon? Catch all the fledging action as it happens on the webcams.

Thursday 28th May

This is our wild robin's nest and inside there are four chicks. Their parents have been feeding them about 18 times an hour.