Contempt or Gratitude? (1 Viewer)

Perhaps not unlike Yellow Wags. that follow grazing cattle/horses, hoping to capitalise on the “disturbed” areas of pasture underfoot. My garden Robin follows me around when I’m sweeping up the leaves/preparing the ground for general garden work etc. and often perches within a few feet of me having complete confidence in being able to evade any sudden movement on my part.

We appear to have had this “close proximity” understanding for some time now, there is also the added bonus of me “turning out” my moth trap mid-morning, although I shoo it away with my hand before release, he/she sometimes (like lightning) pre-empts my movement and snatches a prize.

This morning I successfully emptied out mostly micros, when he/she suddenly appeared from behind with a micro (caught from elsewhere) and what followed simply amazed me! Robin flew to within less than a foot away (perched on chair back) to my waist level, looking up at me with wings outstretched and hovering higher with micro firmly clasped, now at shoulder level performing the same manoeuvre perhaps three times with it’s eyes firmly fixed on mine, before zapping away into the shrubbery where I believe a Juv.was present.

My initial consideration was of contempt on it’s part, but then I thought would it look a “gift horse in the mouth?” It’s worth adding that I put out bread crumbs most mornings and it accesses the overhead peanut feeder when needs be.

Still gob-smacked!

Animals are funny like that. Most of my foxes down the years have run in when I throw the piece of chicken, grab it straight away and either eat on the spot or leg it to their preferred picnic area.

However, the latest addition to the clan, a very small vixen I call Rip (for the tear in her right ear that I think is down to that headcase, Psycho) scuttles up to the chicken, sniffs it, then looks up at me and pauses until I say "Yep, OK" or similar nothing, whereupon she picks it up and trots off with it! What is that all about?

John

Looking for your approval I reckon John. Probably a bit of a nervous individual. I bet she would grin or wag her tail as if to say " Thank you".

Pat.

Why don't you empty the trap after dark and avoid the carnage?

I know the birds need to feed but it's a bit unfair on the moths.

andyadcock said:

Why don't you empty the trap after dark and avoid the carnage?

I know the birds need to feed but it's a bit unfair on the moths.

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I run a security light most nights (have been broken into in the past) and that attracts moths in it’s own right unfortunately, and they become secreted in the ample shrubbery that surrounds the house, and dare I say this attracts the birds.

On balance I probably lose more moths from this light than my 15W UV moth light. However even when moths are to all intents and purpose released safely, I’m unsure as to what damage may or may not be done in the process, I suppose the only answer is to not use any artificial light?

PYRTLE said:

Looking for your approval I reckon John. Probably a bit of a nervous individual. I bet she would grin or wag her tail as if to say " Thank you".

Pat.

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At last I am the leader of the pack!

Cheers

John

Farnboro John said:

At last I am the leader of the pack!

Cheers

John

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I popped into Sutton Scotney services on the A34 a couple of weeks ago at about 10pm on a Sunday night and a chap was feeding a fox in the car park chicken nuggets that it was sitting and begging for like a domestic dog.

All the best

In some woods at the edge of my back yard I have been seeing the same cardinal couple for many weeks now...and I just look at them and say " hi there Mr and Mrs Red" ! It is as if they have started to almost know that I just want to sit in the backyard and compliment them without harming them. I also started trying to make a similar sound they make...and the male cardinal tilts his head as if curious what I am trying to do. I was able to get very close to daddy cardinal feeding his new offspring...I felt like there was almost a learned trust even though they give me distance limits. Yeah I think birds can feel if your energy is non threatening sometimes.

I find this with my backyard birds as well. It's like they know who fills the feeders for them

I was filling my seed feeder up the other day on the patio table and our regular garden Robin actually came up and pinched a seed from the bottom hole of the feeder while I was actually filling it from the top! S/He does have previous for being a cheeky little blighter as about two years ago I found it on the breakfast bar happily tucking into a few leftover crumbs having simply flew in through the open back door.

This bird has absolutely no fear of us at all and is often sitting on the fence watching us while we are outside having a cuppa and is quite happy hopping around under the patio table looking for any crumbs etc. yet is the first one to start alarm calling if there is any sign of danger about (neighbours cat, sparrowhawk, magpies etc). I really do believe it is a trust thing and it recognises that are a source of food and mean it no harm.

Our attack Robin was fed as a juvvie by the girlfriend a few years back (by finding grubs etc under bits of old carpet) and pretty much has no fear of us (we have to shoo it out of the car before leaving etc). It's got 1 or 2 youngsters of it's own in the undergrowth at the moment and is pretty intent on carrying 2 or 3 sunflower seeds at once to make the trip more worthwhile.

If it finds an insect or we only give it one bit of food it will often apparently beg or wait, giving you grief in the hope of another, before flying off a short while later. Maybe Ken's was hoping for another?

Thinking it is more of a cat-person relationship than a dog-person relationship (food provider rather than part of the pack), although at times it does seem more sociable, sub-singing or just hanging around us.

European robins in particular make their living from from following other foraging mammals and picking up scraps or disturbed invertebrates. So the robin is neither contemptuous or grateful - but thinks you are a pig, in a good way...


I often wondered if their cute appearance is actually an adaptation to allow other animals to tolerate them.