Robin defending bird feeder?

[martyp]

I was wondering if anyone else has a very posessive Robin in their back garden? I feel a bit sorry for the dunnocks as the Robin will sit on the fence watching the bird feeder and chases them off if they go there to eat. They really have to carefully pick their moments. Obviously I want to be able to attract dunnocks and the robin equally I used to think Robins were really just territorial towards their own kind? I haven't noticed him go for house sparrows or any tits.

[Jason Green]

Hmm... similar colouration perhaps? Nope, thought not. It'll be territory defence, I should think with the outside possibility of him taking it to be his own food source during the breeding season.

Welcome to WAB, by the way

[martyp]

Originally Posted by Jason Green

Welcome to WAB, by the way

Thank you I've posted in the hello section as well. I thought I best formally introduce myself.
I do notice how the robin and dunnocks behave in a similar way when at the feeding tray. Blue tits and Great tits arrive and go in a second. I have a camera set up to film the birds and rarely catch any tits on there. I have had one shot of a long tailed tit. The dunnock has at times sat in the food and dozed off a bit.
There used to be an even more territorial animal in the garden which I haven't seen for a while - a brown rat. I saw it leap at magpies and pigeons that landed on the lawn a few times. It would really give them a shock when it jumped out of the border at them.

[Pippa]

We have a Robin that attacks most birds at the feeding station.Anything that has the same feeding habits.I feel quite sorry for them as they can wear themselves down.

I spotted your hello Marty,welcome

[Pam_M]

Notorious for defending it's territory is the Robin! Though in my garden all the birds it chases away from the feeders still get their fair share of the spoils!

[oxycera]

despite having a very confident Robin, we put out various foods in different situations and everything seems to feed eventually

[Dae]

Oh yes, we have very defensive Robins. They do chase just about everything away from the feeders, but they don't go nuts about it, so everyone still gets food. The robins are only outdone by a pair of nuthatches at our feeders that'll be quite aggressive chasing other birds away. What's really odd this year is I've got up to 4 robins at the front feeders, not being too terrible to each other - and at least 1 robin at the back feeder. Never have I seen so many robins in close proximity to each other without trying to kill each other.

[smartie]

At this time of year the local robins seem to be alternating between fighting and flirting. We've had one in residence all winter defending our back garden as its territory, and I'm starting to think it is a female, as we've got at least 2 other individuals whose markings I can distinguish turning up regularly now and flipping their wings at "her".

We also have three resident dunnocks who seem to nest as a threesome every year in the way that dunnocks often do. They and the robin coexist quite happily. There are several feeders with enough space for all of them so maybe they don't feel the need to fight.

[heliart]

I've seen a robin seeing off anything that came close to a feeder.
Here's a sort of action sequence of one having a go at a bluetit:-

[Phoebe]

Great action shots heliart! Robins are so territorial!