Experts warn that Britons could see fewer robins visiting their gardens this Christmas after the summer's intense heat and prolonged dry spell left the birds "drought-exhausted." The scorching temperatures and lack of rain in July and August hardened the soil, trapping earthworms and insects underground, while also causing plants to die off earlier than usual, reducing the above-ground bugs robins rely on. This matters because robins depend on abundant late-summer food to build fat reserves before winter, and a shortage now could leave many unable to survive the cold months ahead.

Specialists from the British Trust for Ornithology and bird-food supplier Vine House Farm say the compacted, dry ground likely hampered robins' ability to feed chicks during the breeding season, resulting in fewer successful broods, with some pairs possibly abandoning their usual third brood altogether. Robins can lose up to 10 per cent of their body weight in just a few hours once temperatures plummet, making sufficient autumn feeding essential, and without it they face increased vulnerability as colder nights arrive.