Well, it's Christmas Eve, and I was looking at my little china robin, and it occurred to me that I don't know when I last set eyes on the real thing. Shame, I miss their cute little red breasts. Has anyone seen any recently, or missed seeing them, as I have?

Yes when we walk through local woods we see two, one at west side and other at east side they squabble like crazy if they meet in the middle !

I wonder whether a cat owner is thinking the same somewhere.
Where are all the songbirds?

Hmm. Go figure.

They are everywhere in Kent, I see them all the time.

Seen quite a few this year both when out walking and in my garden (despite being a cat owner, Welsh-Lad )

See Robins all the time. Its Sparrows I no longer see around.

I have a cat....and a Robin that pretty much lives in our garden.

Go figure that

Yesterday

Robins are pretty clever and usually manage to out think cats, it's other birds cats seem so murderous about.

See robins quite regularly in Northern Ireland.

My ruthless approach to roaming cats means my garden is a bit of haven for birds and we have a visiting robin

We had robins nesting in a nest box in the garden last Spring and there are usually a couple taking food from the bird feeders. I hope they nest again but I worry more about the magpies taking the young.

Do tell!
I have a couple of those ultrasonic thingies and they work except for one particular cat. Maybe it's stone deaf
Ps I saw a robin a couple of weeks back. It's sparrows that seem to have disappeared. They were really common when I was a kid. What happened?

Don't see many around here. A shame as Robins are my favourite birds and seem to be the most people friendly.

Its probably a combination of factors - farming changes will be the main culpret. Then there is changes in garden usage - more decking and fewer of the plants they like to eat, fewer of the plants they like to nest in. They also prefer larger gardens and urban spaces - both of which have tended to get 'infilled' with new housing.
Also there has been a big increase in the number of birds of prey, especially kestrels, kites and falcons. Sadly whats been good for the raptors, hasn't been good for song birds.

I have a multi station feeder in the garden, I get a lot of starlings, blue tits and sparrows feeding on it, I sprinkle suet pellets and seeds on the ground under the feeders for the robins

The robins sit on the plant pots and hop on over for a free feed

I'm finding that the birds prefer suet pellets and sunflower seeds to the suet blocks and nuts

Had a red squirrel feeding on a bag of nuts hanging from a fence post last year but not seen it this year

Lots and lots in our local park and one or two in our gardens, territorial so and so's they are taken over area of the park, blackbirds in another, crows, wrens etc but sadly you rarely see a sparrow.

I have a robin that visit my garden, also a load of sparrows, tits and blackbirds.

We have a resident robin at our yard. He always sits on my stable door, quite tame really. Must hang a fat ball up today for him

One stays around my garden all year round ! One of its babies this year

Yes, they're around here along with blackbirds, tits, wrens and other LBJs. I have three cats but they're not allowed out till 10am after the birds have breakfasted on grated apples, nuts and soaked dried fruit.

You know how British robins have learned that gardeners are A Very Good Thing because they turn over worms etc for the robin to hop in and take? That the robin perched on the fork handle is a bit of a cliché but still perfectly true? They're not like that in France. They're wary little birds here and they have not learned that they benefit from insects and worms when I'm digging. I'm trying to teach them but they're slow learners!

In Embankment Gardens, Central London, the other day http://i58.tinypic.com/nwzg61.jpg He/she (?), not sure how to tell them apart? came very close, but I didn't know what to feed it with, or have anything on me that it seemed interested in. I tried a bit of bread from a sandwich and then sultanas, which I carry around and feed Blackbirds with all the time as they seem to love them and I encounter lots round here. For the robins though I need to get some mealworms maybe(?) and go back.

Male and female robins are very difficult to tell apart from their plumage but the female is (as with a lot of birds) larger than the male though that doesn't help if you've not got both in front of you.

Meal worms would be good - dried would be more portable in bag or pocket - or if you're into carrying live food around, any worms or maggots (fishing bait) would be gratefully received, I'm sure. I put out slivers of dried out hard cheese too (cheddar for eg) and I think I've seen robins taking that.

Bread isn't recommended for any bird because it bulks out in their guts but doesn't provide the hit of nutrients that they need.

Thanks for that. Meal worms or maggots it is then, I know a pet shop where I can get some. I'll use a bit of small Tupperware to transport them as opposed to loose in the pocket.

Yes we have a regular pair here, along with scores of blue-tits dozens of sparrows and lots of magpies and crows.

I must top-up the feeders, our cats love to watch them feeding!