A woman has befriended a family of robins - who now land on her head and sing to her.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />And not only do they now pay her regular visits - they have even got to know her routine.<br /><br />Dawn said: “I first noticed them back in October when the leaves were coming down and I had to clean around the tunnel.<br /><br />“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.<br /><br />“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. <br /><br />“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. <br /><br />“It just seemed to hang around, so I gave it a little bit more and it ate that and then flew off.<br /><br />“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.<br /><br />“By the fourth day, I’d managed to get it on my hand – it was a really quick process, and I was shocked!<br /><br />“I made it a little routine – once that happened, I made sure to take my breaks before and after I clean the tunnel. <br /><br />“It just got friendlier and friendlier, until another bird turned up – and it was feeding it!”<br /><br />Dawn quickly realized that the bird she had been feeding was actually a male – and the bird he was feeding was his mate.<br /><br />She renamed the pair Robby and Rosy – and was quickly surprised by a new addition to their family.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />“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.<br /><br />“I started to take pictures of them, because they were so tame, and I couldn’t believe it.<br /><br />“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.<br /><br />“For the last two weeks, I’ve had the whole family around me and I’ve had some really magical times.<br /><br />“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.<br /><br />“The next thing I know, I was walking, and it landed on my head and started singing to me!”<br /><br />The robins have now become minor celebrities in Shaldon – with residents even volunteering to look after the family while Dawn goes on holiday.<br /><br />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.<br /><br />“I look forward to seeing them every day,” she said.<br /><br />“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.”
