Friday 27 January 2023

Bobby Robin

 When I was growing up Pied Wagtails were always called Penny Wagtails, Wrens were always Jenny Wren and Robins were always Bobby Robin.........I don't know why...might have been a Suffolk thing, who knows.

Anyway, this is my Bobby Robin - probably the bird most often seen in this garden. Perhaps the most recognisable bird we have.


And here's the illustration of the Robin from the book I've mentioned several times now (apologies for repeating myself - but it really is a lovely book, and handy to use for a blog post when I'm short of ideas) (I ought to earn commission!)

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I read something about the Robin that I'd not known before and that was it's old name, used by Chaucer was The Ruddock, that changed a century later to The Redbreast and then in the C16 finally changed to Robin.

In 2015 it became, by popular vote, the UK's official national bird. In some parts of the country they were considered bad luck because they are often seen close by when grave-diggers are working. (although I guess not now graves are dug by a mini-digger !) According to some they are friendly and can be easily tamed, but not so friendly to their own species as they are very territorial and defensive.


A Robin Redbreast in a cage
Puts all heaven in a rage.

(Two lines from the C18 poem Auguries of Innocence by William Blake) 


Back Tomorrow
Sue

40 comments:

  1. I heard on QI (I think it was QI) that more robins are killed by other robins than in any other way. They are very violent little birds, very territorial, as you say, but so endearing for all that.
    I love your Bobby Robin. xx

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    1. He/she is often around - more than the long tailed tits, haven't seen them for a week or more

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  2. I always called them Jenny Wrens, but did not know about Bobby and Penny.

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  3. In my childhood the wagtail was little trotty wagtail after John Clare's poem I imagine; the robin was Cock Robin, after the nursery rhyme; the wren was Jenny Wren, or just wren. Little Trotty Wagtail is a very good poem.

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    1. I shall investigate. I need a John Clare collected poems as I've only got The Shepherds Calendar. Of course Ronald Blythe was very keen on Clare!

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    2. But of course. John Clare was his idol!

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  4. We have always called our robins Bob.
    In our house the wagtail just gets called Waggy and for some unknown reason the blackbird is known as Fred.

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    1. I have no idea why our Robins were always called Bobby

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  5. Some still dig graves by hand, especially if it is the second burial in the site. I had a long and fascinating conversation with a grave digger a few years ago. The had so many interesting stories of graves, headstones and customs. He also had a lovely way of telling them - rather like John on Going Gently. I told the grave digger he should write a book…now I think about it I’ve told John the same thing.

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    1. So far there hasn't been a grave reopened for another burial over the road while I've been here. I shall see what happens when there is.

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  6. I grew up in the southern U.S. and my grandma called them Robin Redbreasts, so of course I did too. We're not seeing a lot of birds right now - a much colder winter than usual.

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    1. I miss seeing the birds I used to see at the smallholding

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  7. I'd not heard of Penny Wagtails or Bobby Robins.....Jenny Wrens, yes.

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  8. I love Robins. I always try to spot a few while I'm there. We have Robins here but they are bigger and by no means as nice looking lol. A robin is Michigan's state bird, don't know why as a lot of them fly south for the winter. I suppose that's a people thing too.

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    1. I had a google.....Your Robin is more like the blackbird here only with a red front isn't he.

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  9. I have often thought Robins are reincarnated gardeners. Cheeky chaps and chapesses.

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    1. You are probably right - they are always close by in the garden

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  10. The robins are the most cheeky birds in the garden aren't they? We have one at the moment that will come right up to the back door if we need to fill the feeders. The illustration is lovely by the way.
    Alison in Wales x

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  11. They look different than our american robin but still very sweet. I love the pictures in that book.
    Cathy

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    1. I'm so glad I came across that book it's really lovely

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  12. That's a lovely illustration of the Robin in your book. We always called them Cock Robins as children and yes, Jenny Wrens. And we used to have a lot more sparrows about the place when I was younger ... all those years ago. ;-)

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    1. Apologies - your comments often go into spam and then I forget to look and only find them later.
      There's one place in the village where there are always sparrows but not so much here

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  13. We have robins in NZ - so called for their behaviour than because they are related - like their namesakes they follow humans for the disturbances we create and the bugs that we stir up, and indeed seem very tame. And they bounce. I have photos of one tugging at my Dad's red bootlaces which it must have through looked like worms.

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  14. The American robin is a different species. Named by English settlers who were reminded of the English robin, but a much bigger bird, different habits, flock birds. Likewise the American gold finch is quite different from the European one.

    When the book The Gold finch came out I wondered why that strange bird was pictured! Then I found it was indeed a gold finch, just not the species I knew. The American one is our (nj) state bird.

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    1. Oh another State bird! Every State Must have it's own bird

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  15. I like the colors on that bird!

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  16. I have not seen a single one this winter - in fact garden birds are in short supply round here - some suggest bird flu.

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  17. I name all my feeder birds -- but it's my cardinal who is Bobby!

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  18. Our Robins are just showing up now as well. The Robin Redbreast name is commonly used. That said, your Robin in the first photo looks different from our Robins in Massachusetts. Also our Robins prefer to eat on the ground rather than the feeder.

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  19. Jenny Wren here, too, but Cock Robin {probably after "who killed"}, or Robin Redbreast.

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  20. I saw a few robins this week whohc I hope means Spring weather will be here soon. The ones I see have a red breast. Feeding the birds every day keeps them flocking in and I love watching them.

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  21. I know Jenny Wren, Polly-dishwasher for the Wagtail, and just Cock Robin. That's a lovely book. I have two Cock Robins being very territorial in my garden already.

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  22. Your robins are so much cuter than the robins we have here across the pond. Noisy, mean things they are.

    God bless.

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  23. It is a very pretty little bird. Interesting to hear how its name has changed over the centuries.

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  24. Our American Robins are year-round residents -- although I've been told that our summer robins are in Mississippi in the winter. The robins we see in the winter spend their summers in Minnesota.

    I've never heard our robins called "Bob", but I always sing the Louis Armstrong lines -- When the red, red robin comes bob, bob, bobbing along.

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