What's your Robin up to?

[thebeard]

they're brilliant little birds really, their boldness is such a nice characteristic. haha. when i used to help my friend when he did his tree surgery, we used to get robins under out feet, hoping for a few bits of food from the branches and twigs we'd lopped off bushes and trees.
i went to attenborough earlier in the year, where the robins are quite friendly, due to the high visitor numbers there, and one literally came within inches of me, i could have touched him. his mates came over too and at one point we had 3 robins following us down the lane right next to us in the branches.

this is how close they got (taken at 55mm focal length)

[alan45]

All those lovely stories about nice robins you've not met mine one.
he's a territorial bully sparrows and starlings are ok by him but if you have any fancy coloured feathers look out finches & tits & yellowhammers they are all on his hit list he scare's them all off,he's now starting on me when i go out to fill the feeders he will sit there giving me the evil eye,still you cant help but love them.
...Alan

[Cowgirl]

They're certainly quick to catch onto the garden centres thing. Maybe this is the next step in evolution for them. At one centre near York there are always a couple of robins hanging about in the bird food area that sing when you go past & there was even a blackbird nesting (with chicks) on some of the shelving.

[acherontia]

Ha Ha - those Robins are little 'characters' aren't they? Ours have it in for the dunnock that visits.
That's a cracking close up, the beard!

There are now officially two of mine. They were both dancing about and showing off on the path today as the snow swirled about and 'he' (although I'm not sure which is which) was showing her inside the shed door. I don't know if he's just sussed out where the food is kept or whether its a potential nesting place
Interesting about the garden centres - I wasn't aware of that.

Acher

[pattie may]

I've had one robin, at a time, feeding in my garden. My mother now has a pair visiting her bird table.

[scout]

For the past 3 nights our neighbourhood Robin has been singing until 9-9:30pm

[darrenm]

have only had a single Robin coming to my feeding station all winter and it's been very,very aloof most of the time. It was very vocal like the Dunnock until the weekend and now both have stopped singing in the last two days but it may be down to a colder snap coming back.

[k4t3]

Have had 3 robins (very odd, family group perhaps??) in the garden lately...definately odd as the usual robin fights off anything from a starling to dunnocks (oh boy, does he hate the dunnocks!), but they seem to have been fairly harmonious with each other...feeding from the same table (unheard of!). This seems totally out of character for the normal behaviour of the fiercely territorial robins- anyone else seen this or any ideas as to why this is happening?

[acherontia]

k4t3 - I don't know why this should be but I've seen it happening. It could be that they are part of the same family?

Our robins are in ‘luurve’. Forgive the anthropomorphism now and later

She appears to be building a nest in the shed, somewhere high up by the way she flies in and out. He is striking strange poses, singing and dancing about – I suppose it’s the robin equivalent of hopping from one foot to the other as a small child might on their birthday!
She’s pretty fussy about the leaves and moss and sorts through them very carefully, casting aside any she deems unfit for purpose. He occasionally goes in to see the progress.
I have visions of him saying (Harry Enfield voice) ‘You don’t want to do it like that - you want to do it like this…’ Then he hops about again and probably says ‘Is it nearly finished yet?’ ……… LOL

It was touch and go for a while as somehow, despite all our precautions, next door’s cat gained unlawful entry and frightened the female off with its presence. The unwanted feline was chased away and Mrs Robin has returned – encouraged along by a few sweet songs from the male.

Note to self – ‘Will have to increase feline deterrents……’


Acher

Someone else's Robin. I think he escaped from a chain gang...

[paulinemiller10]

My robin is making a nest in my garage, it will have to put up with my washing machine which is almost below it, but I know robins make several nests in Spring, so may not use it, will have to wait and see. Pauline.