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Bold birds

wildlife, gardening, environment, Rural living, Pets and Vets
88V8
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Bold birds

#435881

Postby 88V8 » August 19th, 2021, 10:26 am

Every morning I refill the bird table with the excellent Vine House Farm's High Energy mix.
A young robin - breast just redenning - has taken to swooping in while I am still refilling, and takes food as I stand there.

This morning while we were sitting outside eating breakfast, that same robin arrived on the table and ate toast crumbs. Brown, wholemeal, if you're wondering.
It also drinks from the cat's water bowl. Perhaps it has a death wish.

A few years ago there was a blackbird that majored on the suet worms in the seed mix and would come down to be fed them by hand.

Seagulls of course are not notably shy, but I wonder what makes some garden birds so outstandingly bold.

V8

pje16
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Re: Bold birds

#435888

Postby pje16 » August 19th, 2021, 10:48 am

I guess they are used to seeing humans
probably watches out for you to provide the goodies :lol:

GrahamPlatt
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Re: Bold birds

#435899

Postby GrahamPlatt » August 19th, 2021, 11:27 am

Individual variation in “adventure-seeking” behaviour which helps the species as a whole to advance (territorially, technologically etc), with of course the downside of some losses along the way (Scott etc). It’s been linked to the gene DRD4

https://www.nature.com/articles/4000918

bungeejumper
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Re: Bold birds

#435915

Postby bungeejumper » August 19th, 2021, 12:19 pm

I read somewhere that it's only British robins who are so cheeky. And that, elsewhere in Europe, they're as timid as our other garden birds.

Have to say that that thought surprises me, given that many/most female robins spend every winter having an extended hen party in Spain. But this source, googled at random, says that other countries have a history of shooting them. Anybody know for sure?

https://www.baldhiker.com/2014/08/12/the-tame-robins/

BJ

Gengulphus
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Re: Bold birds

#435947

Postby Gengulphus » August 19th, 2021, 1:57 pm

88V8 wrote:Every morning I refill the bird table with the excellent Vine House Farm's High Energy mix.
A young robin - breast just redenning - has taken to swooping in while I am still refilling, and takes food as I stand there.

This morning while we were sitting outside eating breakfast, that same robin arrived on the table and ate toast crumbs. Brown, wholemeal, if you're wondering.
It also drinks from the cat's water bowl. Perhaps it has a death wish.

Since it's young, it may well not yet have its first experience of the cat... You might want to take steps to help that remain the case, such as making the cat's water bowl less accessible and providing water somewhere that the robin can easily access and the cat can't...

Gengulphus

XFool
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Re: Bold birds

#436005

Postby XFool » August 19th, 2021, 4:53 pm

88V8 wrote:Every morning I refill the bird table with the excellent Vine House Farm's High Energy mix.
A young robin - breast just redenning - has taken to swooping in while I am still refilling, and takes food as I stand there.

This morning while we were sitting outside eating breakfast, that same robin arrived on the table and ate toast crumbs. Brown, wholemeal, if you're wondering.
It also drinks from the cat's water bowl. Perhaps it has a death wish.

AFAIK, robins are naturally a forest dwelling species. Their habit is to follow other animals around as where these animals disturb the forest floor it allows the robin to pick up food.
88V8 wrote:A few years ago there was a blackbird that majored on the suet worms in the seed mix and would come down to be fed them by hand.

Also, as with any creature, they learn where food is coming from. I have seen blackbirds perching on a spade parked in the ground following digging. They have learned that worms are going to be available.

sg31
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Re: Bold birds

#436206

Postby sg31 » August 20th, 2021, 11:57 am

I'm currently fishing a rural lake. About 4 weeks ago 2 young robins took to visiting me during the day and picking up some seeds I'd dropped. By the end of the day they were hopping from rod to rod.

The following week 2 young robins were sat on my rods as soon as I set them up. By the end of the day they were fighting over who should sit on my knee. They were readily taking food from my hand.

The week after that they were sat on my head , my arm, my hands. One sat on my haversack and then hopped inside to see what was in there. They were totally fearless. Even when I moved they would carry on sitting on my head or arm. We were the best of friends.

This week there were no robins anywhere. Not a sight of one all day. I missed them. Isn't it strange, we meet, have an inter species relationship and then life moves on. It was very special while it lasted, one of those things that makes fishing and life so interesting.

servodude
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Re: Bold birds

#436244

Postby servodude » August 20th, 2021, 2:06 pm

sg31 wrote:The week after that they were sat on my head , my arm, my hands. One sat on my haversack and then hopped inside to see what was in there. They were totally fearless.


We used to live waking distance from Edinburgh Zoo when my elder daughter was in nursery, and had season tickets to take advantage of it. During that time the put in an enclosure of rainbow lorikeets that you could walk among and temp with little cups of "nectar" (which was a syrup type thing)

The opening week it was magic! My daughter, as a four year old, could hold her arm out and get this colorful little parrot to drink from a like paper cup...just amazing.

Two weeks later we went back with her mum and younger sister (in her buggy)
The birds had become quite used to people in the intervening time and descended en-masse; gripping on to jacket sleeves, hats, hair, bags and the pram handle trying to get their sugar fix. The image of my daughter looking like she was going to fly off with her arms outstretched covered in flapping squawking parakeets was equal parts hilarious and terrifying.

They're just little flying feathery dinosaurs at heart

-sd

sg31
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Re: Bold birds

#436296

Postby sg31 » August 20th, 2021, 4:39 pm

servodude wrote:
We used to live waking distance from Edinburgh Zoo when my elder daughter was in nursery, and had season tickets to take advantage of it. During that time the put in an enclosure of rainbow lorikeets that you could walk among and temp with little cups of "nectar" (which was a syrup type thing)

The opening week it was magic! My daughter, as a four year old, could hold her arm out and get this colorful little parrot to drink from a like paper cup...just amazing.

Two weeks later we went back with her mum and younger sister (in her buggy)
The birds had become quite used to people in the intervening time and descended en-masse; gripping on to jacket sleeves, hats, hair, bags and the pram handle trying to get their sugar fix. The image of my daughter looking like she was going to fly off with her arms outstretched covered in flapping squawking parakeets was equal parts hilarious and terrifying.

They're just little flying feathery dinosaurs at heart

-sd


I've seen the same at Paradise Park in Cornwall. The are delightful birds. Just cupboard love though, as soon as 'feeding time' is over they find other things to do. It's a great experience for children, something they will remember for a long time and which may foster a lifelong interest in birds.


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