The audacity of some of the Robins at Bluebell Wood is quite amazing. There are a couple of 'feeding stations' in the wood, where food is placed regularly - attracting a constant stream of birds - Chaffinches, Blue, Great Long-tailed and Marsh Tits, Nuthatches and, of course, Robins.
You can stand at a respectable distance to watch the birds going about their business, and suddenly hear a burst of song from somewhere near your ear lobe. Very often, a Robin will have seen you standing there and will come to perch in the hedge just beside your shoulder.
The food attracts a large number of birds into a small space and territorial arguments are quite frequent, with birds chasing each other around and engaging in breast-to-breast sing-offs.
Presumably, the Robins must learn quickly that people bring food with them, and can be persuaded to dispense it if 'cute' behaviour is exhibited. They become expert beggars and seem to spend most of their time asking old ladies for breadcrumbs and birdseed.
photo taken with Nikon Coolpix 995
Two-faced little blighters, those robins. In my experience, if the food I'd put out in the garden has run out, the local robin will give me that head-on-one-side "oh woe is me, I'm so helpless and hungry" look (er ... I think). Then the next thing you know, it'll be off having bills-at-twenty-paces fights with any other robin that even thinks of encroaching on its territory.
ReplyDelete