So named because he only has the rear claw on his left foot, the three front claws are missing. It doesn't seem to hamper him too much as he raised a brood in the Summer and seems healthy enough now. He's reasonably comfortable with my presence and I can get to within a foot before he scuttles away. He holds a territory from the front car park to halfway along the rear of the college.
Unicum arbustum haud alit duos erithacos
(One bush does not shelter two Robins)
Zenodotus (3rd Century B.C.)
He looks good to me, Monkeycheese. I wonder how he came to lose the front claws?
Our herring gulls are red listed birds. Think about that the next time you hear some flaming idiot calling for a cull of them.
Wow he can definitely get around on it MC and he does look to be in a nice condition.
Jim
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No idea. The foot ends in a clean stump, but as his rear claw is still intact, he is able to cling to twigs and manoeuvre about as if he had two 'normal' feet. There is no limping or favouring of one leg over the other, so had I not photographed him close up earlier in the year, I would not have known that he had this issue. I can't think of a natural reason which would cause the three front claws to be severed in such a manner, I would surmise an encounter with something man made? Maybe someone else has seen a similar injury (in a small bird rather than a Feral Pigeon, as they encounter traps, wire and all sorts of other hazards on a daily basis).
This photo was taken earlier in the year when he was collecting mealies for his nestlings
I found this photo on one of my old Blackberry phones. It's dated February 17th 2012. Given that 'One Claw' would have therefore hatched in 2011 at the latest (can't see the primary coverts properly to confirm), he will be four years old next Spring. Not bad going for a Robin with only one fully functioning foot?
what a little survivor :) goes to show how tough these little characters are - well done One Claw McGraw !!
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Regards, Hazel
Four years is very good by Robin standards. Ironically it is his lack of claws that makes ID possible and his age verified.
Wow, how nice to find out his age MC, hope he brought up little ones as tough as he is.
To be honest there probably aren't too many predators in the area. There's one lazy cat that hangs out in the other car park, but since we have Peregrines on the roof, there are no other raptors around. The Robin population is very healthy and they spend a lot of time bickering over their territories. Of course the best way to find out where they all are is to leave live mealies on the wall and see who comes out and where they go once they have eaten.
Great to hear the story of this resilient little Robin MC & illustrated with wonderful vid/pics! Hope he manages another successful nesting this coming Spring!
2013 photos & vids here
eff37 on Flickr