Meet my little friend...........

Today I had a lazy morning and then went for a walk with the hubby and the camera! We went to a local RSPB nature reserve. As we slipped and squelched our way through the mud I caught a glimpse of this little guy in a bush on the side of the muddy path. He was so friendly he let me get within about 20 cm and only flew away when a dog came bounding around the corner.

A few cultural beliefs about the Robin taken from wikipedia

The robin features prominently in British folklore, and that of northwestern France, but much less so in other parts of Europe.[30] It was held to be a storm-cloud bird and sacred to Thor, the god of thunder, in Norse mythology.[31] More recently, it has become strongly associated with Christmas, taking a starring role on many Christmas cards since the mid 19th century.[32] The Robin has also appeared on many Christmas postage stamps. An old British folk tale seeks to explain the Robin's distinctive breast. Legend has it that when Jesus was dying on the cross, the Robin, then simply brown in colour, flew to his side and sang into his ear in order to comfort him in his pain. The blood from his wounds stained the Robin's breast, and thereafter all Robins got the mark of Christ's blood upon them.[31] An alternative legend has it that its breast was scorched fetching water for souls in Purgatory.[32] The association with Christmas, however, more probably arises from the fact that postmen in Victorian Britain wore red uniforms and were nicknamed "Robin"; the Robin featured on the Christmas card is an emblem of the postman delivering the card.[33] Robins also feature in the traditional children's tale, Babes in the Wood; the birds cover the dead bodies of the children.[32]
Another view is that as winter drew, the swallow, the cuckoo and the martin flew south whilst the English Robin remained to celebrate Christmas.
In the 1960s, in a vote publicised by The Times newspaper, the Robin was adopted as the unofficial national bird of the UK.[34] The Robin was then used as a symbol of a Bird Protection Society.[35]

Happy New Year to all :-)