Scary robin
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- Jerry - Bit higher than newbie
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Scary robin
Hi everyone,
This might sound a strange problem, but I'm wondering if anyone here will have experienced it themselves. I grow most of my vegetables in my back garden, which has always worked very well for me. However, this year I have been plagued by a persistent and quite scary robin who has taken offence at my being there. It's getting to the point where it's hard for me to go down to the bottom of the garden as after a minute or less it has appeared and is swooping over me in quite an aggressive way. I know that robins can be very territorial, but I'm not sure what I can do about it? The behaviour seems to be directly almost exclusively at me, as when I am with my boyfriend or if my boyfriend is in the garden alone, it is not a problem.
I don't want to seem cruel, but at this point I'd really like some advice on how to deter the robin or gently encourage it to move on? I'm getting a bit desperate!
This might sound a strange problem, but I'm wondering if anyone here will have experienced it themselves. I grow most of my vegetables in my back garden, which has always worked very well for me. However, this year I have been plagued by a persistent and quite scary robin who has taken offence at my being there. It's getting to the point where it's hard for me to go down to the bottom of the garden as after a minute or less it has appeared and is swooping over me in quite an aggressive way. I know that robins can be very territorial, but I'm not sure what I can do about it? The behaviour seems to be directly almost exclusively at me, as when I am with my boyfriend or if my boyfriend is in the garden alone, it is not a problem.
I don't want to seem cruel, but at this point I'd really like some advice on how to deter the robin or gently encourage it to move on? I'm getting a bit desperate!
- JulieSherris
- A selfsufficientish Regular
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- Location: Co Galway, ROI.
Re: Scary robin
Hi Megan, welcome to Ish!
Now, I'm no robin expert, but we have quite a lot in our garden all year round - they're all called Gerald & seem quite happy enough
Anyway, with birds, it's not often they will attack those that feed them - so you could try that? It takes a bit of time & patience, but if you can make it work, you'll all be a lot happier outside!
So, when you go out, if the bird is there, pop some peanuts/seed/fatballs/bacon rind out, but make sure the bird can see you doing it. Do this several times over a few days - it will soon come to view you as 'the feeding lady' & should leave you well enough alone.
Good luck!
Now, I'm no robin expert, but we have quite a lot in our garden all year round - they're all called Gerald & seem quite happy enough

Anyway, with birds, it's not often they will attack those that feed them - so you could try that? It takes a bit of time & patience, but if you can make it work, you'll all be a lot happier outside!
So, when you go out, if the bird is there, pop some peanuts/seed/fatballs/bacon rind out, but make sure the bird can see you doing it. Do this several times over a few days - it will soon come to view you as 'the feeding lady' & should leave you well enough alone.
Good luck!
The more people I meet, the more I like my garden 

- spider8
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Re: Scary robin
I wonder if it has a nest nearby and is trying to scare you away from the area........just a thought but don't actually know if it's right
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Life's a bitch and then you diet.
- Green Aura
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Re: Scary robin
I'd say so, they'll protect chicks aggressively.
The worst we've had is trying not to decapitate one that used to fly under the spade as we were digging!
The worst we've had is trying not to decapitate one that used to fly under the spade as we were digging!

Maggie
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
Never doubt that you can change history. You already have. Marge Piercy
Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one's courage. Anais Nin
Re: Scary robin
They're usually the cheekiest and friendliest of birds - I'd definitely go for the "nearby nest" theory, although even that would surprise me. And yes - make a point of leaving food for it, and make sure it sees you do it.
Mike
EDIT: @Julie ... Gerald?
Mike
EDIT: @Julie ... Gerald?
The secret of life is to aim below the head (With thanks to MMM)
- JulieSherris
- A selfsufficientish Regular
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- Joined: Sat Jul 19, 2008 11:12 pm
- Location: Co Galway, ROI.
Re: Scary robin
Well Mike, can you think of a better name for a Robin than Gerald? And we have a lot of them here, so to give them individual names would have been a nightmare....
Last year however, we had a young lad who had one feather in his breast that grew horizontally - so Leah called him Gezza - just because she could tell him apart from the rest!
And yes, all turkeys are called Edna - that's just the law.
Last year however, we had a young lad who had one feather in his breast that grew horizontally - so Leah called him Gezza - just because she could tell him apart from the rest!

And yes, all turkeys are called Edna - that's just the law.

The more people I meet, the more I like my garden 

- Milims
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Re: Scary robin
Hi Megan and welcome
Oh and all our snails are called Gary!

Let us be lovely
And let us be kind
Let us be silly and free
It won't make us famous
It won't make us rich
But damn it how happy we'll be!
Edward Monkton
Member of the Ish Weight Loss Club since 10/1/11 Started at 12st 8 and have lost 8lb so far!
And let us be kind
Let us be silly and free
It won't make us famous
It won't make us rich
But damn it how happy we'll be!
Edward Monkton
Member of the Ish Weight Loss Club since 10/1/11 Started at 12st 8 and have lost 8lb so far!
Re: Scary robin
Edna Turkey.
Gerald Robin.
Gary Snail.
Now it's been pointed out, I'm just gobsmacked that I failed to see the simple logic.
Mike
Gerald Robin.
Gary Snail.
Now it's been pointed out, I'm just gobsmacked that I failed to see the simple logic.



Mike
The secret of life is to aim below the head (With thanks to MMM)
- Millymollymandy
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- Location: Brittany, France
Re: Scary robin
Don't worry MKG I am normal cos all mine are called Robbie.
All moorhens are Millies though, our muskrats are called Malcolm and our coypus are all Kevins.
Now robins are pretty aggressive birds when they see another one on their 'own' territory - so I wonder if it sees you (Megan) as another robin?

Now robins are pretty aggressive birds when they see another one on their 'own' territory - so I wonder if it sees you (Megan) as another robin?

http://chateaumoorhen.blogspot.com/boboff wrote:Oh and just for MMM,(thanks)
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- Jerry - Bit higher than newbie
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Sun May 15, 2011 2:48 pm
- Location: Cornwall, UK
Re: Scary robin
It's interesting to suggest that it might see me as a robin - I've heard that they don't like red things very much as it looks like the red breast of another robin? I do wear red quite a bit so it's possible.
Re: Scary robin
I second the visible feeding- my parents eaves ( just above bathroom window) have a family of birds that return every year & since actively putting out food they have been fine & less aggressive when anyone goes in the bathroom during the day!
Btw any fox that is seen in our garden is Geoffrey! Glad to know I'm not the only one naming garden visitors!
Btw any fox that is seen in our garden is Geoffrey! Glad to know I'm not the only one naming garden visitors!
- Thomzo
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Re: Scary robin
Gerald Robin.
Gary Snail.
Geoffrey Fox
Hmmm, bit of a 'G' theme going on here. Personally, I call all foxes Gerouttahere!
Zoe
Zoe
Gary Snail.
Geoffrey Fox
Hmmm, bit of a 'G' theme going on here. Personally, I call all foxes Gerouttahere!
Zoe
Zoe
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- A selfsufficientish Regular
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Re: Scary robin
We call our squirrel Mr Furryarse. And we call the cat from two doors down Satan. (We don't dislike him though, he's just got a scary expression).
- Milims
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- Location: North East
Re: Scary robin
We used to have a cat visit our garden that we called Dennis - he had a white face with large grey eyebrows,and looked just like Dennis Healey! Sadly Dennis akaTipsy,is no longer with us 

Let us be lovely
And let us be kind
Let us be silly and free
It won't make us famous
It won't make us rich
But damn it how happy we'll be!
Edward Monkton
Member of the Ish Weight Loss Club since 10/1/11 Started at 12st 8 and have lost 8lb so far!
And let us be kind
Let us be silly and free
It won't make us famous
It won't make us rich
But damn it how happy we'll be!
Edward Monkton
Member of the Ish Weight Loss Club since 10/1/11 Started at 12st 8 and have lost 8lb so far!
- sleepyowl
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Re: Scary robin
Back on the robin thing they are savage, how many other creatures that small have the courage to get that close to us,,if robins were human sized I'd crap myself
Organiser of the Rainbow Moot for LGBT Pagans in the West Midlands
http://robstacey.blogspot.co.uk/
http://robstacey.blogspot.co.uk/