I’ve got a few robins, and one very inquisitive male (I think as he seems to be feeding his lady) who is keen to be around me and my partner.
tonight (was close to dark) I left him some mealworms and shouted him (I call him and tutt and he comes to this now) and there he was. this time he sat there like looking at me singing away. Quite a varied and in depth song
any idea what or why he was singing at me?!
Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos
(One bush does not shelter two Robins)
Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr
As you probably know, both males and females sing. For robins, singing is overwhelmingly a territorial thing. The weather has warmed up since Saturday and they are now singing a lot here....esp compared to last week when it was far colder. Many birds do sing to attract mates, esp migrants like nightingales and warblers that often arrive alone and in habitats where they're well hidden. Robins, however, often already have mates and territories by now. They're also more widespread and common, and often more visible, so finding a mate doesn't need weeks of singing in most cases. Robins also spend much of dawn and dusk, incl darkness hours, singing. Your presence and your food was timed at a time when the robin was probably going to be singing anyway, to state it's there, in its territory, and to ward off any rivals.