Robin Rusty
orange breast
A study into the true colour of little Robin Red....rusty orange breast!
There is a genuine love for this little winter bird. Not only are they the iconic image of Christmas, and rightly so with so many myths and folk lore connected to them, but they also represent 'a loved one is near [when a robin appears]'!
red
orange
Above is a photograph showing my robin colour studies, flanked by photos of our little robin fledgling His chest is clearly orange compared to my red-breasted robins!
Traditionally it is thought that the robin first appeared on Christmas cards in Victorian England. At a time when sending cards during the festive holidays became popular, the postman adopted a red jacket and became known as 'Robin Redbreasts'! It is said at this time someone designed a card with a robin posting a festive envelope and we've not looked back since.
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Robins are the national bird of Britain, with their numbers boosted each winter as they return to the UK from Europe. Realising the potential of the robin I set about developing my own robin. The first thing I noticed during my colour studies, was that robins aren't red-breasted...they are orange.
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I started my robin colour studies three years ago and here on the right is my current bird.
There are 4 different shades of burnt orange on his chest and 4 different browns on his body with a band of beige between the two. Realising very quickly how popular these birdies were, I decided to make an exclusive small robin filled with lavender as a little freebie gift sent out with orders. I genuinely appreciate every sale and I felt these little robins would honestly express my thanks. As I was certain most people would really like
their gift I thought it would be a great idea to add a reminder as to where the robin came from. That is when I added the little metal pin of my logo left. These pins are of the highest quality and were not cheap, but I felt it was something that just had to happen, it made so much sense. I do not pay for advertising as I cannot stand having adverts forced upon me, so the cost of these pins was like a form of advertising. I view them as little free samples to show the quality of my
Herby Birdies, which is far more productive than paying for advertising to an indirect audience! Â