Wednesday 5 February 2014

Robin

A couple of things you should know about me: I fall in love all the time and I like being teased. Right now I'm falling in love and being teased simultaneously by the same character. He seems quite cocky but I like his confidence. I think he's had me in his sights for a while now.  He has this habit of whistling loudly when he sees me and a way of making sure I notice him by crossing my path frequently whenever he can and making eye contact with me briefly but very obviously before disappearing again to watch me from a distance. That's the teasing bit. He's like: “ You can look but you can't touch”. (Well, mate, I'd love to touch you if you'd just let me...)  Sometimes he even sings!

This morning he was particularly obvious, when he flew straight across in front of me, landed on the bird table just a few inches away where I'd been topping up the feeders, and later on he perched on the branch of the buddleia right outside my window and stared in at me through the glass, almost taunting me to react to his pluckiness.

We are only just getting to know each other but we have a connection and I love him already.  I've loved a few of his kind in the past too -  had them eating out of my hand ;-)


Now harmless youngsters, ye are free!
Yet stay awhile and sing to me;
And make these sheltered bounds your home,
Nor towards those dangerous meadows roam.
Your ruddy bosoms pant with fear
But no dark snare awaits you here.
No artful note of tame decoy
Shall lure you from your native joy.
These blossom shrubs are all your own,
And lawns with sweetest berries strewn;
And when bleak winter thins your store,
This friendly hand shall furnish more;
Nor shall my window shutters fold
Against my robins numb with cold.

Thomas, Lord Erskine, 1798




15 comments:

  1. C...I'm not sure this is legal. I don't know the laws in the UK on this sorta thing andI don't wanna get all judgmental...but, I just don't want to see you get in any trouble either.




    :0

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    Replies
    1. We're bird-mad, us Brits, anything goes! ;-)

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    2. I blame it on being an island nation...

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  2. Funnily enough, Mrs. Bear is also having a bit of a fling with our local robin at the moment. He's always hanging around. Must have a word.

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    1. I totally understand Mrs Bear. They're such flirts, who could resist?!

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  3. I love their nosiness and confidence. There's a section of one of my local walking routes where sparrows and tits flitter around and just ahead of me between bushes on either side of the lane, but quite often a robin will sit there, singing away, having a darned good look at me as I pass within inches of it. I keep meaning to take some seed out with me, I've never had one eat out of my hand before, it must be amazing.

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    Replies
    1. Yes, I think there's something about them - as you know I spend a lot of time with all my birds but I find robins (and blackbirds) as species connect to humans the most. Flock birds seem to be more cautious, I think they have a different mentality, the safety in numbers thing. But robins seem to have a boldness above most others, don't they?
      Our hand-feeding robin from a few years ago was an absolute joy. He used to perch on my back and hop about round my feet too (I used to worry that I'd tread on him!), and take food from us back to his wife and kids in the nest. Bless!

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  4. There's a reason they're sometimes nicknamed "the gardener's friend" -- most of the ones near me tend to avoid people but they sing oh so loudly. I love them! Also, yours might be female, both genders have redbreasts.

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    1. They are so loud, aren't they?! We have a lot of garden birds here but the robin (and the wren) definitely have the greatest volume. You're right, this year's friend may indeed be female, so I'll be watching out for the presence of another one as we get into the breeding season and see how they behave, I love watching the courtship rituals!

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  5. I have been looking for that little blighter.....best regards Bruce

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    1. :-)
      Ah Bruce! You're welcome here any time!

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  6. We Robins can't help being irresistible to women. ;>)

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    Replies
    1. Haha, I think I must have just gone and proved that by naming a post after you!

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