Since March last year we've had a tame Robin take meal worms from us in the garden and he's been through a long story with us. Finding a partner, raising two lots of children, moulting etc.
If anybody missed it the whole story is on the link below.
https://community.rspb.org.uk/wildlife/f/all-creatures/276041/bold-robin#pifragment-4285=8
This is our tame Robin coming for his favourite live mealworms.
In January he started to be accompanied by another Robin.
She would come down for worms if I put some down and stood back a little way and is gradually getting bolder but not quite taking them from the hand yet.
Now the male has started to feed the female regularly and set me the challenge of capturing the hand over. Mostly she's just in the hedge so I can't get a side on shot and he's in the way of the moment of passing the worm most times.
When not taking worms he's often in a tree just the other side of our hedge singing.
This morning I put the tub of worms down and he fed her straight from the tub, he gives her up to 6 worms at a time taking the odd one for himself.
Hopefully other interesting year will unfold for our Robins.
Best Wishes,
Trevor
Things are moving on with our Robins. Now instead of both the Robins turning together with the female waiting to be fed by the male the male turns up on his on, eats a few worms then gets a beak full and goes off with them elsewhere in the garden, we assume to fed the female because he's soon back for more. They still do occasionally turn up together.
A couple of days ago they were seen together and one brought something up and the other one dropped down to get it and I think eat it.
Lot to learn
Here's the latest update on our Robins. They are definitely getting on with things now, a couple of time I've seen one of them with a little white poo sack in their beak which they wipe off on a twig. The male is still the boldest and most regular at finding us in the garden or staring at us through the conservatory glass asking directly for mealworms, but the female often accompanies him when we are by the workshop where we keep all the bird food and occasionally sits on my hand long enough to take a couple of worms but she's still not as confident as the male.
Yesterday the male came to my wife's hand and sat and took what he wanted.
Then the female came and dashed in to just crab a single worm but fumbled it.
She did come back for another go.. Sometimes we've had both taking worms together, they are quite busy now they are raising their family in our neighbours garden somewhere. Hopefully there'll be fledglings sometime soon.
A long overdue update on our tame Robins.
After producing two broods of youngsters the parents are still coming for their mealworms. The male always confidently landing on our hands but the female much more cautious and only occasionally landing on our hands.
After a very busy spring and early summer they are both looking a bit the worse for wear.
This is the male coming in looking very tatty.
The female waited for me to put some worms down for her this time. She hasn't had tail feathers for a while now.