Has anyone else seen this? I have a robin who this winter regularly flies up to my hanging feeder(s) with suet pellets or sunflower hearts and then hoovers or rests one claw briefly on the wire loop before taking some food and flying off to eat it? Previously I've only seen them feeding off ground trays or bird tables. I haven't yet been able to photograph this.
Great Pics!
Lovely photo!
Unknown said: Hello Jane Robins may not be entirely comfortable coming to feeders but they adapt quite well when there's easy food on offer. As others have said I get them coming to seed feeders and fat blocks and clinging on for a short period whilst grabbing a morsel. I've even had them doing aerobatics to get at the goodies. TJ
Hello Jane
Robins may not be entirely comfortable coming to feeders but they adapt quite well when there's easy food on offer. As others have said I get them coming to seed feeders and fat blocks and clinging on for a short period whilst grabbing a morsel. I've even had them doing aerobatics to get at the goodies.
TJ
Over the winter I have watched a Robin gradually learn to use the various feeders.
To begin with he went to the bowl & perched quite clumsily on the enamel edge (mealworms & bread) but steadily got better & gained confidence until he would stand in the bowl which is as deep as he is tall.
Next he learnt to used the fat ball feeder first by perching close by & pecking the top ball which was the only one reachable by him from the perch but as the stack lowered he adapted to use the wire of the framework (large mesh).
Next he learnt to use the peanut feeder (medium mesh)
Finally learnt to use the sunflower seed kernel dispenser (finer mesh). He/she is now very adept & will hang not quite upside down on the side but maybe at 135 degrees & no longer so put off by other smaller birds also visiting the feeder (Starlings he still leaves for).
There is often a bowl of meal worms on the nearby table which is clearly his favorite but not always he will go on the sunflower kernels & also the bread sometimes in preference to the mealworms. However he has stopped using the peanut dispenser & uses the fat balls feeder less.
Now in April we have three Robins two (with distinctive markings) who will overlap visits & a third (less distinctive markings so it might be another pair) who seems to be copying the first pair. We very definitely have a "front garden robin" & a "back garden robin") but its difficult to tell where the third one (or second pair) is coming from because I try not to disturb them when they are feeding.
I am not a photographer so have not tried too hard but have been unable to take any decent photographs although again try not to disturb then when they are feeding.
The black birds are now following suit so in addition to taking meal worms from the bowls on the table & feeder (to begin with they only fed on the meal worms & bread knocked to the ground by other birds) but so far only perch on the feeders & do not hang although one of the male blackbirds occasionally tries.
I am not a bird watcher (I do feed birds on the basis that all our wildlife needs help) but have been fascinated watching the learning process of particularly the first robin.
Yes, chases other birds off too!