Robins' nest

Shirtsleeves weather on Saturday so I spent the day in the garden for a sustained attack on the weeds and lawn edges.

I called at the garden centre to replace the three delphiniums bought in the autumn that had failed to appear in the spring. "Do you replace plants?" I asked the man at the counter.

"Sorry sir, but we're not responsible for them after they leave the premises," He says. "I'd say that the slugs have got to them." He might be right. I noticed that there were still five no-showing delphiniums in their pots at the garden centre. Who's slugs were we talking about?

Back in the garden a robin appeared as I was digging over the compost. I watched where it was heading and saw it dodge in to a plant pot tipped on its side amid some thorny cotoneaster. Nesting on the ground seemed a bit risky.

Later I spotted two male robins hopping around the garden. A bit odd, that, I thought, since male robins are usually quite territorial. Then I noticed both males flying out of the plant pot. What was going on?

These two fully grown robins were nuzzling each other on a branch. Steady on boys. Gay robins? It happens among birds. Black swans are known for it. So are mallards, penguins and gulls. Or could they be part of a menage a trois, sharing a female who could be hidden away on a clutch of eggs.

I'm not sure what I think about robins mincing about my garden. I prefer to think of Cock Robin as a poem, not a question.

Perhaps this was a family thing. They might be brothers, or possibly this was a bit of manly father and son joshing. I have no idea.

NB. All now understood. It looks like the robins are sharing their garden with a tit. See comments for embarrassing explanation.