WALKING in a WILDLIFE WONDERLAND

Escape stress from the festive free-for-all with a little help from the county’s countryside and Cheshire Wildlife Trust

- Rachel Bradshaw

Think of Christmas and wildlife and you might assume the only species you are likely to spot on a Christmas card and in our countryside is a robin. Famed for its red breast and cheery, year-round song, it is undoubtedly the British contribution to Christmas wildlife. They appear on Christmas cards because they share their name with Victorian postmen who wore bright red uniforms and were much anticipated when it came to delivering Christmas cards and gifts.

But the association between robins and Christmas goes back much further than that. It is suggested these lovely little birds were present in the manger when Jesus was born and that one tended the fire as the young Christ slept. The embers suddenly sparked and crackled, lighting up the breast of the bird – giving it the red hue we see today. Whether you chose to believe that or not is up to you. But robins are inextricably linked to Christmas and, for me, hearing their song on a snowy day is about as festive as it gets.