Four robins in the garden

[Toddy]

HWMBLT said to me yesterday that he'd seen four robins in the garden. Not fighting, squabbling or chasing each other.
Not that I disbelieved him, but tbh, robins aren't known to be tolerant of any other birds let alone other robins apart from their mate.

This afternoon I wrapped up like Nanook of the North and went out to fill the feeders, and sure enough, four robins; and all four within ten feet of each other
I know my gardens are good habitats, (not that big, but they wrap around the gable end of the block and run next to a nature walk with trees and a burn) but four ? in close proximity ?

I think it's the dried mealworms that are doing it
The robins are as bold as brass anyway; they follow me into the greenhouse and I'm pretty sure I saw one eyeing up the open kitchen door too

atb,
Toddy

 

[Stringmaker]

We like robins; robins are good but gobby.

There are definitely two males exchanging pleasantries on our back fence from time to time, but equally we have seen both of them at the same time just peacefully co-existing. When we were digging over our little raised veggie beds last weekend we had one waiting for us to get out of the way so it could hoover up the worms.

 

[Bigfoot]

I've seen 3 or 4 Robins together (within 10 m of each other) a few times and it puzzled me too, maybe they are working a co-operative in order to share food

 

[oldtimer]

I've been followed all round the garden by our robin today. We frequently have three in the garden simultaneously. One is very much the dominant one, but whether a cock or a hen we don't know. We did wonder if there might be a pair with an off spring from last year's brood. We had two sons like that and it nearly ended with us leaving home!

I've heard tell that the phenomenon of robins following humans around as they garden is peculiar to the British Isles, but I don't know if this is true. I certainly have never got up close to a robin in France: they are as shy as any other bird. We also find that blackbirds in our English garden are very tame and put it down to the bird feeders.

 

[Toddy]

Funny you should say that, the robins are joined by the blackbird and a coaltit in pestering me to feed them if I'm out in the garden working.

The robin will literally sit right beside where I'm working with the trowel, the blackies sit maybe two or three feet back and the coaltit sits on the nearest perch that it can.

I was taught that robins will naturally follow people and pigs, foxes and badgers. All four grub in the ground for edibles and don't usually take the small insects and larvae that the robins love.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[WULF]

I bet that was great to see,robins are one of my favourite visitors in the garden and they love mealworms
Did you get a piccy mary?

 

[Toddy]

No, I didn't I was busy and it never occurred to me to take the camera. That said, now we've both seen them, we kind of know how and where we might manage to get one

M

 

[Shewie]

I pulled over into a layby on Monday to take a phone call, one landed on my nearside wing mirror and just stood there staring at me. It must be a spot where they get fed by truckers

 

[Elen Sentier]

We've got two pairs in the garden here (1/4 acre). She's been asking for food and he's been feeding her, in both pairs, but this last week they've stopped that so I'm guessing the mating's all done and she may well be laying - can't see the nests though I've an idea where they are in the hedges - too high up for me to get pix . They're too darn qick for pix at the moment, although they do sit by me for the worms and grubs but if I start fishing in the pockets they scarpa! Think I'll start storing the camera in the trug!

 

[Paul_B]

It's supposed to be a woodland bird that followed boar around picking up bugs turned up by those natural bulldozers. Since the removal of the boar from our woodlands (now returned in many areas) they started following other ground turners. Nowadays a good animal for this is the gardener/allotment grower. They're still in woods of course, such as Grizedale Forest in Cumbria. The name of course gives it's former inhabitants away.
Lovely bird but supposed to be promiscuous if Attenborough's life of birds series was right.

 

[Macaroon]

During countless hours of walking young horses in harness as part of their education, one of the enduring pleasures, among many, has been the constant company of the little red ones following along and taking what's provided by the churning action of the hooves. On more than one occasion I've had them so bold that they'll sit happily on the horse's rump looking backwards, as if reading a menu!

As mentioned by oldtimer, this gregariousness is strangely confined to the Britih Isles - I used to have horse people over to visit from Germany and they were amazed by the behaviour they witnessed; apparrently they are very reticent, secretive even, on mainland Europe, so yet again we are the lucky ones...........................It's hard to believe that all that sound comes from such a small bird when they give voice, too!

 

[Toddy]

Aye, but in Europe they shoot the wee songbirds. Maybe the robins learned not to get too close to humans.
See about a fifth of the way down this page for instance

http://imagesfromtheedge.com/blog/?page_id=4119

M

 

[bambodoggy]

I was taught that robins will naturally follow people and pigs, foxes and badgers. All four grub in the ground for edibles and don't usually take the small insects and larvae that the robins love.

Not so much when doing tree work but when stump grinding I am the local Robins' best friend. As I get towards the end of Stump grinding it's not uncommon for 2 or 3 to be sitting waiting for me to finish. When done I back the machine away, turn it off and usually consume a combustible cancer stick while watching them down the hole I've just ground eating whatever they can find down there. No arguments between them and certainly no fights. They are very tame and don't fly off if I move or even seem too bothered that I'm even there. They only fly when I restart the machine to bulldoze the grindings back down the hole. As I leave site they are usually back checking what I've left but again not fighting or trouble between them and this is at hundreds of sites in the south east I work at.

This seems to happen more often than not and I have had blackbirds come and join in the fun too

Cheers,

Bam.

 

[Rod Paradise]

In our garden the robins seem to fight less when the weather's bad. Like they're too busy feeding. When the weather's better and they're not so hungry they seem to have time to disply & chase off interlopers. Like a wee robin's club under our feeders through this cold snap (snow again this morning ). One in particular is like my Dad's shadow, even following him into the greenhouse, and down the street when he walks the dog (he's had a knee replacement & doesn't take her far, but she expects him to walk her, I get to take her the long walks).