Bully robin!! (1 Viewer)

[Cutshalr]

Hello,
I am in desperate need of help. I finally got bluebirds to come to my feeders and water now noticed a massive male robin chasing every bluebird away from every feeder. He doesn't even get a chance to land on the feeder sometimes. The robin sees it sitting in the tree and he chases it away. Now I have not seen my bluebirds for two days. He is also chasing some of my others but bluebirds can't get near their food. How can I get rid of this robin!!! Does anyone know if my bluebirds will come back eventually. I am pretty new at this only my second year. I have never had this happen.
Thanks for any advice

 

[Kits]

Welcome to Birdforum. I hope you enjoy your visits.

 

[KC Foggin]

I have never experienced a Robin doing this. Very strange. I wonder if the Robin has a nest nearby. You can try taking the feeders down for a few days and see if the Robin moves on.

Hi there and a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum
We're glad you found us and please join in wherever you like.

 

[Cutshalr]

I'll think he is after the meal worms that I have put out for the bluebird so now he got scared off the bluebirds and I just wonder if the bluebirds will come back now or if they have been frightened off

 

[Cutshalr]

I have never experienced a Robin doing this. Very strange. I wonder if the Robin has a nest nearby. You can try taking the feeders down for a few days and see if the Robin moves on.

Hi there and a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum
We're glad you found us and please join in wherever you like.

I have never experienced a Robin doing this. Very strange. I wonder if the Robin has a nest nearby. You can try taking the feeders down for a few days and see if the Robin moves on.

Hi there and a warm welcome to you from those of us on staff here at BirdForum
We're glad you found us and please join in wherever you like.

I have never had one do that either but I'm pretty sure he's getting aggressive over the meal worms

 

[KC Foggin]

Well then try taking down the meal worms down for a bit and see if it disappears.

 

[Cutshalr]

Well then try taking down the meal worms down for a bit and see if it disappears.

I'm sure you're right I was just afraid if I took them away then the bluebirds for sure wouldn't come back

 

[Richard D]

Can you set up a separate feeder a little distance away?

 

[Cutshalr]

Can you set up a separate feeder a little distance away?

I did try that all the way across the yard and a bluebird landed and he flew out of the tree and scared it off. I thought maybe he wouldn't be able to guard them if they were that far apart. This robin is something else. He has guarded my whole back yard. No bluebirds now for two days. So mad he is scaring all the birds away

 

[K3ZD]

I've had the same problem. A very large bully Robin got a taste of the mealworms when the lid flew off my Bluebird feeder. Ever since then it has been chasing the Bluebird couple away that I put the feeder up for. I've been shooting at it with a gel blaster for 2 weeks from my window, I don't think I was ever able to hit it but that chased it away but a short time later it would be back at it. It can't even get to the food. It made me more and more mad so I finally had it and I killed it with an air rifle. That was yesterday. It turns out it was the wrong one but that one was also a bully because I caught it in the act right before I killed it. Today the main bully Robin was doing it's thing so I killed it too. Let's hope this works. I did the same thing with the stupid Starlings and after I killed about 6 of them they got the message and I've seen no more Starlings since then for several months now.

 

[Jos Stratford]

I've had the same problem. A very large bully Robin got a taste of the mealworms when the lid flew off my Bluebird feeder. Ever since then it has been chasing the Bluebird couple away that I put the feeder up for. I've been shooting at it with a gel blaster for 2 weeks from my window, I don't think I was ever able to hit it but that chased it away but a short time later it would be back at it. It can't even get to the food. It made me more and more mad so I finally had it and I killed it with an air rifle. That was yesterday. It turns out it was the wrong one but that one was also a bully because I caught it in the act right before I killed it. Today the main bully Robin was doing it's thing so I killed it too. Let's hope this works. I did the same thing with the stupid Starlings and after I killed about 6 of them they got the message and I've seen no more Starlings since then for several months now.

Don't understand why someone thinks it good to put up a feeder for birds, then takes to shoot other native birds that visit it.

Besides which, if I understand correctly, you are committing a federal offence - American Robins are protected under the US Migratory Bird Treaty Act.

 

[Ignatius]

I've had the same problem. A very large bully Robin got a taste of the mealworms when the lid flew off my Bluebird feeder. Ever since then it has been chasing the Bluebird couple away that I put the feeder up for. I've been shooting at it with a gel blaster for 2 weeks from my window, I don't think I was ever able to hit it but that chased it away but a short time later it would be back at it. It can't even get to the food. It made me more and more mad so I finally had it and I killed it with an air rifle. That was yesterday. It turns out it was the wrong one but that one was also a bully because I caught it in the act right before I killed it. Today the main bully Robin was doing it's thing so I killed it too. Let's hope this works. I did the same thing with the stupid Starlings and after I killed about 6 of them they got the message and I've seen no more Starlings since then for several months now.

<irony mode> Way to go! Choot 'em Liz! </irony mode>

 

[K3ZD]

I didn't want to do it but I did it for the Bluebirds. I see Robins all over the place, every year, however I rarely see Bluebirds, I think they are having a tough time. I also put up 3 nesting boxes and I saw the Bluebird couple check out each one but I think they weren't ready yet and now they are all occupied by those little brown birds, so I ordered a 4th one but I'm not sure how many more I can manage to put up. I can tell you the Bluebirds are really peaceful, they don't mess with any other birds.

 

[CPP Gardener]

A better response to the ‘little brown birds’ (probably House Sparrows, a non-native species)would be to remove all the nesting material as soon as you find it, as long as there are no eggs, until the Bluebirds make up their minds.
Jos has it right that the Robins are protected and it is illegal to harm them.

 

[K3ZD]

I don't care what the rules are, I make up my own as I go. Good luck proving it as the garbage has already been collected and those 2 Robins are at a landfill, probably already been eaten by crows. Btw. the Robin problem has totally been solved. There are other Robins in the yard but they don't guard the feeder, everyone gets along. We're not supposed to kill people, yet that's what the government does with the really bad ones and quite frankly more criminals should get the death penalty. Some guys are so bad, you just don't want them to ever be on the street again. Some of the crimes they commit, there is just something fundamentally wrong with their head and 20 to 30 years in prison will only make that worse. Anyway...

I put up another nest box today in the hopes the Bluebird couple will claim it. I didn't know I could remove the nests from the house sparrows. That seems really mean. It's like someone kicking you out of your house. But since the Bluebirds are my top priority if the house sparrows take over the new nest too I will start the evictions and I don't even care if there are already eggs in it because I read up on them and they are enemies of Bluebirds.

 

[Jos Stratford]

You're shooting protected native birds and seem proud of it, not to mention dismissing one of the fundamental bird protection laws in the US. Don't think Birdforum is the place for you.

 

[K3ZD]

I guess not. The OP said "I am in desperate need of help" and I had the same problem and found the perfect solution or at least the solution worked perfectly so I thought I'd share it. One day when all Bluebirds are gone, replaced by even more Robins then you can be proud of yourself.