Wildlife December into Spring 2008

[Rob]

Here are a couple of pics of a Robin - Erithacus rubecula

I haven't cleared up the fallen leaves in the garden yet, so when I see the Robin I disturb the leaves to expose worms, insects etc and the bird is getting quite tame.

Today I found a big green caterpillar so I held it out on the palm of my hand, and the Robin hovered and took the grub. Given patience I'll be able to get it to land on my hand for tidbits.

[mark smyth]

brilliant photos

[Susan Band]

I had a bit too much wildlife in my garden today. Looked out my window to see a deer busy eating my lawn. Hope it isn't still about when things start to come above ground.
If you don't know my garden you might not think this is stange, but the house is in the middle of a village with at least 3 or 4 houses all the way round between mine and the fields. I think it prehaps was frightened into the village and decided to stay around the village green for a while. I don't have any fences onto the village green 

Rob,
Robins are great company aren't they.

Susan

[Heather Smith]

Keep at it, Rob, ypu are nearly there and it's very rewarding. 

The trouble is robins don't live very long and it takes a while to tame them enough to land on your hand.  My method is to put food on the windowsill and my hand also on the sill but a foot away or so. Gradually I put the food closer to my hand and eventually on my hand. The robin will stand on the sill and lift the food off my hand. Then, big day!, it will stand on my hand to eat.  Each stage takes a week or so.  After that I hold my hand 6 inches above the sill, then the prop is no longer needed.

I thought I had lost both of 'my' robins this autumn as I didn't see them for months, then yesterday, I saw one on the sill and I held out my hand with food and he flew straight to it.

They are lovely birds and there was one who would perch a couple of feet away at my level and sing and sing. I have video of this as he waited for me to go and get the video, beginning to sing again as soon as I was ready.

I notice that starlings and other birds come very close indeed when I have a robin on my hand. It makes me feel like St Francis.

[Paddy Tobin]

Rob,

Great photos of what I read recently is the most popular bird in the UK.

My best similar experience of feeding wildlife was a woodmouse which would take peanuts from my fingers. It would stay in one of the glasshouses over winter and would hide behind the pots if I entered but would remain still if I lifted the pot which hid it and accept a peanut from me. Pretty little fellow.

I was in a friend's garden some years ago and as we walked about chatting he put his hand into his jacket pocket, removed it again and held it out. A chaffinch immediately landed on his open palm to take the seed he had there. I was amazed that the chaffinch would come so eagerly to him, especially so when a stranger was there.

Paddy

[mark smyth]

sadly the Chaffinch is no longer alive

[Heather Smith]

Paddy, there is a local member of the AGS here who has chaffinches coming to his hand. In my experience, hand-tamed birds will usually come to a stranger's hand but only as long as the human they trust is close by.  His chaffinches would feed from my hand, and 'my' robins will land on the hands of my visitors as long as I am there.

[Rob]

Heather I followed your advice.

I put some sunflower hearts on the wall of my raised bed and put my hand next to the seed. The robin came within seconds, but he seems slightly camera shy as when I raised the camera he flew into the nearby bush, see pic.

I also found a fat female froggy. Since it is chilly at this time of year she didn't mind posing

[Anthony Darby]

Individual robins can be surprisingly long lived, but the average is probably less than the age at which they reproduce, such is the way.

[Susan Band]

Lovely Robin photo.That's your Christmas cards sorted then

[Heather Smith]

Lovely picture, Rob.  You could get a friend to hold the food while you take the pictures, or wait until he is more relaxed in your company before producing a strange object to point at him. Patience is the key.
I was in the shed getting peanuts for the birds' hoppers this morning, and when I came out, the robin was sitting on a climbing rose at my level, staring at me and singing loudly. I fetched his favourite suet food and he was on my hand immediately to eat. I love it and it charms anyone who experiences it.

[Peter Korn, Sweden]

The cat is not very wild today, to rainy.

[mark smyth]

Heather Bob's bird has gone to bird heaven

[mark smyth]

here is some sad news from the Irish (Wiclow) Red Kite release programme. One Kite has flown to my area

On Tuesday the 28th August while radio tracking kites the body of a shot kite was found. The bird was kite “M”, a bird from the second release site. The kite itself was located in a patch of uncultivated vegetation at the side of a large stubble field. The bird had been shot at reasonably close range with a shotgun. This was evident from a quick visual inspection but was confirmed by x-ray. It was decided by the Golden Eagle Trust to go public with the finding and the GET press release got excellent coverage on Thursday 30th August. It was in every National paper, got coverage on National and Local radio and even made it into the Washington Post!

If anyone is interested in reading the full release report and the Sea Eagle release, Killarney, report just email me and I'll forward it to you

[Anthony Darby]

Now is a good time to visit Argaty Red Kites about 4 miles from me as they are feeding 20 - 30 every day.