Robins are brightly colored and wonderfully chirping visitors to our yards. And while they commonly symbolize the arrival of spring, they're a familiar sight all year round and thankfully, that means they can brighten up your yard in winter.
But, winter can also become a bit of a struggle for robins with the drop in temperature bothering their usual routine and jeopardizing their food supply of wild berries, insects and seeds.
Fortunately, there's something you can do to help. Rather than only getting to enjoy a fleeting view of a robin in your garden, there's a way to get them to stick around a little longer whilst helping them to survive – and all it takes is one simple winter fruit.
Robins are my all-time favorite bird, so when I read that I only had to lay down a particular fruit to get their attention, I was intrigued. And it turn out that I already had it well-stocked in my home and now it's easy to encourage them to become my feathered friends. Here's how it works.
How to attract robins to your yard
Winter is a hard time to be a robin. The cold weather freezes the ground making it hard to find food and even harder to stay warm. And while robins will appreciate any bird seeds you put out into your feeder, they'll really appreciate if you feed them raisins.
Why? Well, much the same reason we love raisins, they're sugary and sweet. Additionally, they're quick to eat and small to carry so for skittish birds like robins, they can grab and go. Or, if they get used to you putting out raisins for them in your yard, they'll keep returning so you can watch them enjoy, too.
According to the National Audubon Society, robins feed heavily on fruit, especially in winter, stating: "Fruit accounts for perhaps 60% of diet year-round." So, feeding them raisins when they can't get the usual crops of wild berries will make the robins very happy and healthy.
It's an affordable, natural and accessible way to feed the robins, and if you've got little ones, it's a great way to get them involved in feeding the robins, too.
Attracting robins without encouraging pests
It's not quite as easy as just scattering raisins across your yard. If the robins aren't around to eat them, they'll get lost and forgotten or will attract other pests to your yard.
Instead, you should soak the raisins in warm water for around 10-15 minutes until they look and feel plump. Then, pop them into a shallow dish or tray and place them somewhere safe for the robins to visit.
It's worth noting that you don't need to put out many, and less is more. If you put out too much, there might be some leftove,r which will only act as an invitation to other less desirable critters into your yard overnight, like raccoons, foxes, or opossums.
You should bring any leftovers in at night and rinse the dish out every few days to get rid of any old rotting raisins. Repeat this routine, placing them in the same familiar place and at a similar time, and the robins will begin to feel more confident and comfortable to flock to your yard. They might even tell their friends to come along, too.
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