Woman befriends family of robins who now land on her head and sing to her

A woman has befriended a family of robins - who now land on her head and sing to her.

Dawn Kiff, 58, began working as a cleansing operative in Shaldon, Devon, nine months ago, spending a lot of time in and around the heavily forested Smuggler’s Tunnel as a result.

But over the past month, she has become a familiar face in the village – after befriending the robins by feeding them during her coffee breaks.

And not only do they now pay her regular visits - they have even got to know her routine.

Dawn said: “I first noticed them back in October when the leaves were coming down and I had to clean around the tunnel.

“There’s a lot of wildlife up there, but the robins were sort of following me around. My mum passed away in September, so it came at a really nice time to be honest.

“It was only about six weeks ago, so I decided to sit down before I went to go and clean the tunnel. I had a coffee and a croissant – and this little bird, that I’d called Rosy, sat next to me.

“I thought she was very friendly, so I ripped off a bit of my croissant and put it down next to me and it ate it.

“It just seemed to hang around, so I gave it a little bit more and it ate that and then flew off.

“The next day, it was there waiting for me again. By the third day, it was landing on my boot, so I took my phone out to take a picture of it and it just stood there.

“By the fourth day, I’d managed to get it on my hand – it was a really quick process, and I was shocked!

“I made it a little routine – once that happened, I made sure to take my breaks before and after I clean the tunnel.

“It just got friendlier and friendlier, until another bird turned up – and it was feeding it!”

Dawn quickly realized that the bird she had been feeding was actually a male – and the bird he was feeding was his mate.

She renamed the pair Robby and Rosy – and was quickly surprised by a new addition to their family.

Amazed by the friendliness of the pair of birds, Dawn began posting photos and videos of their interactions on Facebook, quickly attracting the attention of village residents.

“These little robins, it turns out, have had a chick! I discovered the male was feeding a chick in the tree, so now they’ve got a little family,” said Dawn.

“I started to take pictures of them, because they were so tame, and I couldn’t believe it.

“I was showing some of the villagers, and they said I should put them on social media. The response I got was massive, I was really surprised.

“For the last two weeks, I’ve had the whole family around me and I’ve had some really magical times.

“On Friday, it was raining, and I had my hood up. I carry seeds with me now, so I put a bit of seed on my head, and it landed on my head, grabbed it, and flew off to feed the chick.

“The next thing I know, I was walking, and it landed on my head and started singing to me!”

The robins have now become minor celebrities in Shaldon – with residents even volunteering to look after the family while Dawn goes on holiday.

For Dawn, the birds have become her favourite part of her work day – and when her Shaldon route ends next month, she still plans to come back and visit Robby and Rosy.

“I look forward to seeing them every day,” she said.

“But they will be alright – they’re wild animals at the end of the day, and they’re always there and safe when I come back from the weekends.”