Talkback: Robins in the garden - Talkback

29/12/2009 at 09:41

I too have a resident robin again. I fed one all last wintr.Could it be the same one? Mine still hides if I'm in the garden but it doesn't fly off. It will now fly onto my front fence and pause to see me off when leaving the garden. it also watches and sees off other species if i' m around, and is always first for breakfast at first light.

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29/12/2009 at 11:27

I have two robins in my garden - they stay in their own part and never cross over into the other's territory but they are not at all afraid and come within a yard of me when I am working in the garden.

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29/12/2009 at 20:30

My Grandfather had a robin which would perch on his hat or sometimes on his shoulder while he dug his allotment. The bird did this for a good two years and then suddenly disappeared. How long do small birds like the robin live?

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29/12/2009 at 23:11

i have an robin cume to my allotment every day. even when i dig the grownd over and the worms all cume up. it is ther eating them. it is good to see it in the allotment. now i dig them up for the robin.

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31/12/2009 at 19:22

I have a robin that comesandtaps onthe window and then follows meto the greenhouse where I keephis /her food. Last summer I had it feeding out of my hand.What a greast feeling.

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31/12/2009 at 23:43

I work for B&Q in Plymouth, and several times when I'm drop & filling in the old greenhouse, he/she comes in to 'help'. A few people thought it was a realistic tree decoration until it flew down to eat the spilled seed. Our store's been open for about 8 yrs now, and we've had robins from the start. Originally they came into the store to perch on the artificial trees, and used to fly down to the coffee shop to pick up crumbs while people were eating. Then they were beginning to build nests in the trollies of plants we were unloading. This year there have been 2 in the greenhouse, helping themselves to spilt seed, and going down to the house plants to roost.Between them and the blackbird that visits inside the store, I think they've got the right idea..they can be warm, dry and fed, with no one bothering them.

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01/01/2010 at 02:00

Enjoyed reading about the garden robins!

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01/01/2010 at 08:48

I was in my local garden centre recently browsing through the seeds and planning for next year when I heard a bird singing close by. I looked up to find a robin sitting on top of the seed stand chirping away. It made no attempt to fly away even when I "talked" to it and I was beginning to think it wasn't real. I was there for quite a while [as usual] and so was the robin. I checked with the girl on the till and she assured me that the robin was real and a permanent visitor. I guess there is plenty of free food and warmth there so Mr/Mrs Robin knows a good thing!

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01/01/2010 at 08:51

My garden seems to be full of robins at the moment. I've seen 4 at a time in the front, squaring up to each other by the feeders and at least 2 in the back garden who seem to keep more strictly to their territories. One of these is tame enough to eat mealworms from my hand and would come to the table and join us in the summer, even when there were 8 people present. Luckily my guests didn't seem to mind a pot of mealworms on the table.

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01/01/2010 at 17:23

for the past few days i have been watching 3 robins in and out of a bird box near my decking area outside my patio doors. they always seem to be nmore active around dusk and are beutiful to watch i am hoping that they have chosen to nest in my garden as this will be the first ime . i often see robins around my garden but never so close and in one of my nest boxes.

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02/01/2010 at 13:40

I had a robin who would come in the house to pinch the dog food. One year I had just iced the xmas cake and it perched on the top, wish I had my camera handy, had to re ice the cake of course.

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02/01/2010 at 13:57

Ever had that feeling ,when you are alone in the the house, that someone is watching you? I had , a few years ago, while washing up. I turned round to find a pair of young robins perched on a shelf of my Welsh dresser, pretending to be ornaments. I opened the back door and they left some time later. I think they were just resting from their first flight. Their breasts were still yellow, not yet red.

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02/01/2010 at 17:58

We have two robins in our garden at the moment and they don't like any other birds around, they stand watch over the bird feeders and send the other birds packing. They both have a bath in the flower pot tray most days even in this very cold weather.

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02/01/2010 at 22:44

Lovely to read all your robin stories. I've been trying to find out exactly how long robins live for. Some web sources tell me they may only live for a year, but some robins have been known to live for 20 years! Does anyone know for sure that a robin in their garden has lived for several years?

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02/01/2010 at 23:54

I seem to have particularly fierce robins in my garden & most other birds get chased away. I saw what appeared to be a wildly revolving tennis ball until I realised it was a robin and a dunnock rolling around locked in combat. I don't know who won because they rolled under a camellia & had gone from sight by the time I got out into the garden. I couldn't bring myself to look for any bodies but from their reputation, I assume that the robin was the victor! Perhaps they both survived - I hope so.

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03/01/2010 at 15:09

I have two robins that I see regularly in my back garden, and have always enjoyed watching them, usually from a distance. The other day, I was just tidying around in the garden, when one of the robins flew down to eat from a feeder that had fallen to the ground. I kept very still, and the robin hopped towards me and reached my foot. I moved slightly to see what it would do next, but it flew away. I was left feeling very honoured that it had come up to me and felt chuffed for the rest of the day!

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03/01/2010 at 15:30

we have 3 robins in our garden and they eat all day with many other birds bleu tits long tail tits. wrens which we have two.doves which eat to much of the seed i feed plenty twice a day 7morming and 5tea times but the black bird is the first every morning and stands singing to me i put the seed where all the birds have there share even on the bird table where the robins go

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03/01/2010 at 20:53

I to have a robin in my garden and feel very honoured when he comes to see me , out he pops waitin for his breakfast and its the most wonderful feeling when he hops on my hand to take a crumb or two then of e fly sit in on the fens while i put out food for the rest of the birds.And i always say hello have you come to see me .

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04/01/2010 at 12:59

I have a very friendly robin in my garden. He first became very friendly this time last year and would eat meal worms off my hand. After last year's family had departed, I didn't see much of him unless digging in the allotment. And now he is back again flying into the back of my garage, perching on the workbench and singing to me until I get the pot of meal worms out, then he takes a couple off my hand, flys out and perches where he would like me to put more out. I have tried taking a photo but he's just too quick for me.

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04/01/2010 at 18:48

I have searched in vain for squirrel-proof bird feeders for robins and others, like blackbirds, who find it hard to perch to feed from hanging (squirrel-proof) feeders which attract sparrows, blue and great tits, green finches and even a woodpecker. But food placed on the ground is vacuumed up by squirrels before the non-perching birds get a chance! I have no place to erect a pole feeder. Any ideas please?