Birdwatch: the robin is one of our most familiar birds – yet it can still surprise us

Robins are the UK's favourite bird and feature in our folklore, but their fascinating lives have plenty of secrets

On a misty November morning, my Somerset garden is unusually quiet. Apart, that is, for the song of one of our commonest and most familiar birds: the robin. It's a sound I am used to hearing, for unlike virtually every other British bird, robins hold territory and sing more or less all year round.

That's not the only surprising thing about the robin. Common and familiar this little bird may be, but it still has the capacity to surprise us, as I discovered when I spent a year following robins in my garden and beyond for my new book.