Thoughtful Thursday - Hoppy Spadge

Most people associate the robin with Winter, or more specifically, Christmas. In fact the robin is one of the few birds in this country to stay in one area for the whole of it's life. It's less seen in the Summer because it doesn't need to come into urban areas to find food. That said, this year we have had robins in various stages of development come into the garden on a daily basis. The one I blipped a few weeks ago still visits us and is now becoming much less fluffy with the beginnings of his red breast. He's now a bit like a teenager. He's only interested in food and when he's eaten he disappears off somewhere with nothing more than a quick cheep in return. This baby robin must be one of a second brood of the year. He's at the inquisitive stage and sits on the fence or gate just watching what's going on.

The robin used to be my Dad's favourite bird. He loved it when they came to sit on his shed roof and he would put bread out for them all through the Winter (well to be precise, he would send us girls out to put bread out for them!). When my children were small we had a pack of "Happy Families" playing cards where all the families were animals. The robin family were the Spadges. The little boy of the family was called Hoppy Spadge so that's what we call our baby robin.

So, on Thoughtful Thursday this little bird has brought back some lovely memories of my Dad and my Children when they when they were small.