Read more: Gardeners urged to do 3 things now to attract robins before December

The most important starting point is food. As temperatures drop, robins need a constant supply of high-energy nutrition to survive. They're primarily insectivores, which means their natural diet consists mainly of worms, beetles and other invertebrates found close to the ground.

In cold spells, when the earth hardens and snow covers their foraging spots, it becomes much harder for them to find what they need. That's where supplementary feeding makes a real difference.

Experts recommend offering mealworms - either live, dried or soaked - as one of the best foods for robins, thanks to their high protein content and similarity to natural prey. Fat-based foods such as suet pellets, bird cake or fat balls are also invaluable, providing concentrated calories to help robins maintain their body temperature.

Placing food on a bird table, low tray, or scattering it on lawns and flowerbeds near shrubs works best, and a sheltered corner close to a hedge or tree gives them a safe vantage point and encourages repeat visits.

Mild cheese, crushed peanuts, dried fruit and meaty kitchen scraps can all be added to the mix, along with special high-protein robin blends available from wildlife suppliers.

The second essential step is to provide water. This is often overlooked in winter, but it can be just as important as food. Natural water sources may freeze, so keeping a bird bath topped up and breaking any ice ensures robins have somewhere to drink and bathe.

Regularly refreshing the water helps prevent bacteria building up, and placing the bath in a quiet spot near cover makes birds feel secure while they drink.

Creating suitable shelter is the third key factor. Robins, like many small birds, need places to roost on cold nights to conserve energy. While some may find shelter in hedges, climbing plants or dense shrubs, nest boxes are also used in winter as night roosting sites.

Open-fronted designs are best for robins, ideally tucked away behind foliage or ivy to offer protection from predators. Placing them between north and east helps avoid strong sunlight and rain, and positioning them around two metres from dense vegetation reduces the risk of cats ambushing. These same boxes are often later used for nesting in early spring, so putting them up now gives robins time to get familiar with the space.