Anyone seen any robins?
Moll Flanders
Posts: 1,392 Forum Member
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Well, it's Christmas Eve, and I was looking at my little china robin, and it occurred to me that I don't know when I last set eyes on the real thing. Shame, I miss their cute little red breasts. Has anyone seen any recently, or missed seeing them, as I have?
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Where are all the songbirds?
Hmm. Go figure.
They are everywhere in Kent, I see them all the time.
I have a cat....and a Robin that pretty much lives in our garden.
Go figure that
Robins are pretty clever and usually manage to out think cats, it's other birds cats seem so murderous about.
Do tell!
I have a couple of those ultrasonic thingies and they work except for one particular cat. Maybe it's stone deaf
Ps I saw a robin a couple of weeks back. It's sparrows that seem to have disappeared. They were really common when I was a kid. What happened?
Its probably a combination of factors - farming changes will be the main culpret. Then there is changes in garden usage - more decking and fewer of the plants they like to eat, fewer of the plants they like to nest in. They also prefer larger gardens and urban spaces - both of which have tended to get 'infilled' with new housing.
Also there has been a big increase in the number of birds of prey, especially kestrels, kites and falcons. Sadly whats been good for the raptors, hasn't been good for song birds.
The robins sit on the plant pots and hop on over for a free feed
I'm finding that the birds prefer suet pellets and sunflower seeds to the suet blocks and nuts
Had a red squirrel feeding on a bag of nuts hanging from a fence post last year but not seen it this year
You know how British robins have learned that gardeners are A Very Good Thing because they turn over worms etc for the robin to hop in and take? That the robin perched on the fork handle is a bit of a cliché but still perfectly true? They're not like that in France. They're wary little birds here and they have not learned that they benefit from insects and worms when I'm digging. I'm trying to teach them but they're slow learners!
Meal worms would be good - dried would be more portable in bag or pocket
Bread isn't recommended for any bird because it bulks out in their guts but doesn't provide the hit of nutrients that they need.
Thanks for that. Meal worms or maggots it is then, I know a pet shop where I can get some. I'll use a bit of small Tupperware to transport them as opposed to loose in the pocket.
I must top-up the feeders, our cats love to watch them feeding!