Robins Fledging

[Tinkicker]

From the box by the kitchen window.  Mum and Dad have absolutely no problems with us moving about in the kitchen, just business as usual, in and out like clockwork feeding their babies.

Rescued one of the parents from the spare bedroom the other day, heard a commotion in there and went to investigate.  Adult Robin flew onto the bed and sat watching as I opened a window.  As soon as I opened it and held back the curtain for it to be able to fly past,  it was away to freedom.  It did not show seem to show fear, just the expectation that I was going to let it out.

 

We keep the back door open for the dogs to wander in and out, so it must have got in there, flown through the house and up the stairs.

 

Earlier this afternoon, much fluttering and commotion coming from the box and one fledgling appeared in the opening, sat for 15 minutes and took the leap of faith.

It cannot fly and Mum is feeding it seeds from a dish the missus puts on the lawn every morning.

 

A second one has appeared in the opening and has promptly fallen asleep.  It has not moved in a half hour.  Must have expended its energy flying up to the opening.

 

Of course the way of it is, the battery is dead in my Nikon camera with zoom telephoto lens, so I had only my phone to take a crappy pic.

 

Let me sleep, I will get around to it when I am good and ready.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 29, 2024 by Tinkicker

[Simon Davey]

Love it, absolutely brilliant.

Such a treat, that cannot be overstated. 

I used spend weekends photographing birds with a mate of mine, when it was a "quiet day" there were always Robins to pose for us. 

[curlylegend]

We sometimes get these odd looking things in our garden.  It's a Hoopoe !

 

[Bender]

We have a regular nest in our garden and regularly the local fat cats with no bells or collars rip the fledglings to bits so we just end up with plucked babies with no heads, I can see why people poison cats but I think they should start with the owners.

[Simon Davey]

@curlylegend

That's bordering on tropical. 

Edited June 29, 2024 by Simon Davey

[Tinkicker]

17 hours ago, Bender said:

We have a regular nest in our garden and regularly the local fat cats with no bells or collars rip the fledglings to bits so we just end up with plucked babies with no heads, I can see why people poison cats but I think they should start with the owners.

 

I have sad news.  Within an hour of sleepy leaving the nest, he was on his own and one of next doors cats got him.  We had not been allowing the dogs out front because of the fledglings, so a cat chanced its luck.  Seenfrom the kitchen window, jumping back over the hedge with a baby in its mouth.

 

Adult Robin was spied in the back garden with two young to supervise.  One was near a drain, luckily it had a cover over it.  The other was at the top of the garden by our small newt pond, just crouched between a wall and the edging stones. Parent was unconcerned and was bringing food repeatedly.  Nevertheless, it was a oh shit moment,  our original large pond laid claim to many a fledgling over the years till we filled it in.  Why do fledglings always head for water?  He moved from the stones, so I went out to make sure he had not fallen in.  Nope, no sign.  No idea where he went.

 

Heard the second one cheeping and found it round the side of the conservatory with parent sat nearby.  Filled the bird feeder and threw some seeds near the chick so mum did not have to work to keep it fed.

 

Checked pond again just before dark and no sign of either chick.

 

Got up this morning and the missus found one drowned in the pond..  Heartbreaking.  Meanwhile mum was up by the back gate feeding the last baby.

 

Went shopping and when we checked, there has been no sign of mum or baby since we returned.  Doing a little research, it seems that less than 25% of Robin fledglings survive long enough to be able to fly.  It takes 10 - 15 days after fledging to be able to fly apparently

 

Both next doors cats are on our shit list now.  Its only a matter of time before Astra catches one in the garden.  Cats are quick, but she is far quicker and hates cats.  I wont be calling her off.

 

 

Wheres them fecking cats?  Astra has their cards marked.

Edited June 30, 2024 by Tinkicker

[Bender]

7 minutes ago, Tinkicker said:

 

I have sad news.  Within an hour of sleepy leaving the nest, he was on his own and one of next doors cats got him.  We had not been allowing the dogs out front because of the fledglings, so a cat chanced its luck.  

 

Adult Robin was spied in the back garden with two young to supervise.  One was near a drain, luckily it had a cover over it.  The other was at the top of the garden by our small newt pond, just crouched between a wall and the edging stones. Parent was unconcerned and was bring food repeatedly.  Nevertheless, it was a oh shit moment,  our original large pond laid claim to many a fledgling over the years till we filled it in.  Why do fledglings always head for water?  He moved from the stones, so I went out to make sure he had not fallen in.  Nope, no sign.  No idea where he went.

 

Heard the second one cheeping and found it round the side of the conservatory with parent sat nearby.  Filled the bird feeder and threw some seeds near the chick so mum did not have to work to keep it fed.

 

Checked pond again just before dark and no sign of either chick.

 

Got up this morning and the missus found one drowned in the pond..  Heartbreaking.  Meanwhile mum was up by the back gate feeding the last baby.

 

Went shopping and when we checked, there has been no sign of mum or baby since we returned.  Doing a little research, it seems that less than 25% of Robin fledglings survive long enough to be able to fly.  It takes 10 - 15 days after fledging to be able to fly apparently

 

Both next doors cats are on our shit list now.  Its only a matter of time before Astra catches one in the garden.  Cats are quick, but she is far quicker and hates cats.

 

 

Wheres them fecking cats?  Astra has their cards marked.

Pleased to here the dog likes cats, if it's ok and natural for cats to eat birds then it's ok for dogs to eat cats.

 

We had a cat as kids in the country, everything our cat caught it ate cause we never fed it unless it went on holiday with us.

 

Shame about the chicks, I've always had a soft spot for birds, I raised a humble orphaned spuggy 30yr ago, came to release it and it went from being afraid but taking food from me to flying back and sitting on my head when I attempted to let it go, suddenly I was mam and dad and it was going nowhere.

[bonio]

I didn't know hedgehogs were so mean! I've been taken in by their Mrs Tigglewinkle themed branding.

[Tinkicker]

52 minutes ago, bonio said:

I didn't know hedgehogs were so mean! I've been taken in by their Mrs Tigglewinkle themed branding.

 

Never trust an advertising exec.....

[curlylegend]

23 hours ago, Simon Davey said:

@curlylegend

That's bordering on tropical. 

Not far off it. My well travelled friends tell me there like sparrows in Egypt. They're also the national bird of Israel.

[curlylegend]

4 hours ago, Angela Collen said:

one is truly brilliant at catching midemadores

What's a midemadore ?

[curlylegend]

4 hours ago, bonio said:

I didn't know hedgehogs were so mean! I've been taken in by their Mrs Tigglewinkle themed branding.

In the news over here, there's an homme de voyage , or as we used to be allowed to call them a gypsy, in serious trouble for boasting that last year he killed and ate 200 hedgehogs.

He's facing 8 months in the jail as apparently hedgehogs are a EU protected species.

There's a terrible uproar as a lot of people are demanding a death sentence.

But it's odd, isn't it, as I can go to the garden centre and legally buy and use mini landmines to blow up moles. It seems the French hate moles ?

[Nick the wanderer]

9 hours ago, curlylegend said:

What's a midemadore ?

mymaridae maybe, fairy fly.

[RideWithStyles]

Funny that though they made a generation do that in ww1?

 

I know moles can make a bit of a mess of a garden but generally don’t kill and eat random animals above so it’s ok to Land mine a mole that is a natural beast doing what it’s always done and continue to? Off memory they spend nearly all their time under it so is it effective?

 

I know a work colleague who keeps the bigger problem bird (magpies, jackboots, pigeons etc) numbers down near him so the smaller ones have a chance. Too many jack doors etc near me. 

Shame you can’t land mine/high voltage/laser/shoot for cats, as bird and other wildlife species are seriously struggling (merely for its own entertainment) with the mass of uncontrollable human made vermin they call a pet . So you can’t leave a dog unattended without some form of potential repercussions but a cat you can just let them wonder where ever? Sounds like very lazy and total lack of responsibility and accountability from an owner….

Plus they just p1ss on and shite every where, dog owner do/should pick it up so should the cat owners, two particular ones tend to use ours and neighbours land/walls/bike covers at every given moment .

 

thats my rant over with.

 

10 hours ago, curlylegend said:

What's a midemadore ?

No idea, Midge that’s a matador? 

Edited July 1, 2024 by RideWithStyles
Auto bs.

[rennie]

We have a huge problem with random neighbour's cats shitting all over our garden!

 

I hate the things!  Wish we still had our lurcher!  ( She got a few bless her)

[curlylegend]

13 hours ago, Nick the wanderer said:

mymaridae maybe, fairy fly.

Oh. ok, thanks for that.  Fairy flies ?  Whatever next. goblin grasshoppers ?

[curlylegend]

13 hours ago, RideWithStyles said:

Shame you can’t land mine/high voltage/laser/shoot for cats, as bird and other wildlife species are seriously struggling (merely for its own entertainment) with the mass of uncontrollable human made vermin they call a pet . So you can’t leave a dog unattended without some form of potential repercussions but a cat you can just let them wonder where ever? Sounds like very lazy and total lack of responsibility and accountability from an owner….

 

Maybe you could use these somehow or other to discomfit your pestilent cats ?

 

Isn't it strange how humans can get so emotionally attached to certain creatures ?  My sister-in-law would have given her life for her cats and yet I'm sure they only thought of her as a convenient food source. My brother flies into a rage if a tv program about fishing comes on. The rumour is he was once engaged to a mermaid. 

Personally, if I ever saw Sylvester getting hold of Tweety Pie and devouring it I wouldn't turn a hair.  I know a lot of people have strong opinions about cats, but I'm not convinced that animals are capable of deliberate cruelty.

Humans on the other hand, that's a different story !

 

[RideWithStyles]

Very true CL, just a convenient food source.

Wow Errm could be true with all if he’s a fish type with tin foil on he’s head or smoked too much crap .

 

i knew a work colleague that thought the moon wasn’t real and goodness know what else as is a gov/world org conspiracy at that point I switched off and nodded my head a what I thought was the right timing .

 

They are very capable just that tv doesn’t show it cos it’s too disturbing or not light hearted educational.
Well cats do over birds, frogs and other small poor creatures just for their amusement (why just the head? It wasn’t a zombie beforehand) and obviously utube shows them attacking humans cos they have/are the problem (both parties).
Turtles and tortoises chase/harass and nip at cats so thats , also partially bonk peoples shoes .
Apes and monkeys will batter the shit out of owt willing and all members join in especially if they think they have the upper hand.

Whales will torpedo/smack/play tennis/pin pong with penguins and sea lions etc.

young sharks will continually practice on pray. Some fish can be cunning.

spiders can be quite savage to flick the kill switch.

[Tinkicker]

17 hours ago, curlylegend said:

 

Maybe you could use these somehow or other to discomfit your pestilent cats ?

 

Isn't it strange how humans can get so emotionally attached to certain creatures ?  My sister-in-law would have given her life for her cats and yet I'm sure they only thought of her as a convenient food source. My brother flies into a rage if a tv program about fishing comes on. The rumour is he was once engaged to a mermaid. 

Personally, if I ever saw Sylvester getting hold of Tweety Pie and devouring it I wouldn't turn a hair.  I know a lot of people have strong opinions about cats, but I'm not convinced that animals are capable of deliberate cruelty.

Humans on the other hand, that's a different story !

 

Pet cats are not starving.  If it was a fox with cubs or even a known , hungry feral cat with kittens, that is nature and eating to survive.  

Simba who was seen taking the first baby is a rather fat cat...

 

Pet cats kill for entertainment.  They torment and torture their pray before killing them.