My poor Robin

[chico2]

I don't know why he did not go south with the others,if I had wings,I'd be gone..
He sits at my heated bird-bath and drinks water,I bought him some raisins and cut up apples for him,maybe he'll be ok..
Here he is,could not get too close...poor beautiful Robin:sad:

[erykah1310]

Chico its because he knows he's got it good sticking by you!!! Why risk losing track of your house, Fighting the cold weather to stay there may be worth it for the cutie pie

[Prin]

Aww, that's sad. He's got somebody special looking out for him though.

[Skryker]

I was worried when I saw this, chico! I was afraid you were going to say that he'd frozen. :sad: Poor little guy. Maybe next year, he'll know enough to fly south. At least he has a heated spa and room service.

[chico2]

Well,as for the spa it does not get warm,the heater just keeps the water from freezing over completely...I just LOVE Robins,but this one made a misstake:sad:

[Hunter's_owner]

I've seen robins around in the winter here too. I don't know why some decide to stay

But I think he (or she, lol) has got it pretty good around your place He looks plump enough

[chico2]

He's plump looking because he's trying to stay warm:sad: there was 4 here at one point,don't know what happened to the others..

[Skryker]

My resident sparrow pair are all puffed up today, too. They wait in the cedar tree until the snow lets up a bit, then come over to the pine tree and the porch for food. The chickadees have been frequent visitors today too-and yell at us furiously when we venture outside! Cheeky little devils-seems rude to yell at the person who feeds you!

[Stacer]

Chico, you should get your hubby to build a birdy condo, fully insulated, heated and carpeted.

[chico2]

Now that is a brilliant idea,although I already have 4 occupied birdhouses,a condo would be great

[TeriM]

This is our first year with a bird feeder. I just love watching the birds and the cats love the entertainment (no worries, they are strictly inside kitties). We have quite a few robins here but it's also much milder here so that is probably the reason.

[phoenix]

Chico, robins are carnivores, you could give him some ground beef (looks like a worm) or some mealworms from a pet store maybe?

[chico2]

Phoenix,that's a good idea,but they do eat berries and things too,in the summer I've seen them eating in my mulberry-tree and now this one is eating some red berries in my front garden and my raisins.
I think in the winter,they will eat pretty well anything,except seeds..

[happycats]

Oh Chico, poor little robin, I love robins too:sad: If there is any way you can capture him, I know the THS will take him into their wildlife area, maybe call them, as they may be able to advise how to catch him.

I had one over the fall, who seemed to have trouble swallowing, we tried to catch him to see if we could help, but were unable too. We did make sure he was well fed (they love grapes and apples and cooked hamburgers broken up). We found him dead early one morning, I was so sad, and still wish I could have captured him to help.

Good luck with that sweet thing, and please keep us updated.

[chico2]

Happycats,I wish I could capture him,right now he is sitting lapping up the sun at my birdbath,it does not seem to be anything wrong with him,he still flies very well.
I am glad I have the heater,apparently birds use up too much energy eating snow for water.Hopefully the very cold weather is almost over,he's survived this long
I am going to defrost some hamburgermeat,good thing hubby is away

[jessi76]

from what i understand, robins don't go south. instead, they go deeper into the forest, to help protect them from the elements.

[chico2]

Jessi,that is not what I have read,but I have heard of people who see several Robins in the winter,but mostly I believe they fly south.
I always get excited when I see the first Robin in the spring and hate it when we get a spring snowstorm....ok,so it does not take much to get me excited

[hazelrunpack]

Most robins head south for the winter unless the weather is extremely mild (one year we had flocks of robins until Dec 20, then a storm pushed them south), or there was a bumper fruit crop (they eat a lot of berries in the cold seasons), or they aren't feeling well. To be still alive that far north this time of year bodes well for your robin being able to make it through till March, which is when the robins come back, anyway (the first wave comes through here in very late Feb or very early Mar).

Meal worms might tempt it to a platform feeder. Bits of apple, berries, etc., might also. They eat high-bush cranberries, choke cherries, and berries in the wild, so if you're still seeing bushes with fruit on them, the robin is probably getting enough to eat. One year we chopped up a cake of suet and sprinkled that with some apple bits over a pile of dirt that was free of snow in the garden. Maybe put some suet on the feeder with the apples and mealworms (if you try them)?

They're attracted to disturbed earth, which is why we put the food on the dirt...but it looks like you've got too much snow for that ploy to work.

He does look pretty fluffed--how cold was it when you took the pic?

Lucky bird that he found your heated birdbath!

[chico2]

Hazel,I have suet out there,but I buy the ones with nuts and stuff,I,ll get a berry-one and see if he goes for it,I'll free a spot for him under the hedge.
I also have corn-kernels but I don't think he eats corn and a bush,that still has lots of red berries,I brush the snow off it
The day I took the pic,it was about -15C:sad:
I've also read,the males return first to look for suitable nest-sites any thruth in that?
I usually have a couple of nests in my Blue spruce and really love keeping an eye on them..thank's for the info.

[chico2]

WOW,he has company
Yesterday while watching 'my'Robin at the birdbath,THREE more males arrived,hopefully the worst of the cold is over
Every time things get quiet and the squirrels freeze in their spot,I know,it's either a Hawk or a cat lurking.
Only the crows were making noise yesterday afternoon and then I saw why,a beautiful Redtailed Hawk searching for prey.
My 3 crows chased him away,but what a beautiful sight

[Lukka'sma]

Chico I see robins year round here also. Mostly in the pine woods that I walk Lukka in.
What if you went to a live bait fishing store and bought some worms. Keep unused worms in your fridge . You might be able to bury a few in a small pail of dirt below the bird bath and make the robin think she found them all on her own.

[hazelrunpack]

How's your robin doing, Chico?

The flocks should be on their way north now. Typically I'd be seeing some now--but there's so much snow that they'll still be pretty few and far between. Another couple of days I'll know for sure if they're here--they start vocalizing a few days after they arrive when they claim their territories. Your bird, if it made it through winter, will be getting more company very soon.

I'm not sure if the males migrate first, but it's a good bet...a lot of species do it that way. Gotta set up territory before the sweeter sex arrives

[chico2]

Hazel,he is still alive,seems fine
I see him at my birdbath every morning and I cleared the snow off one of my bushes(red berries)which he sees to like...plus other stuff I put out.
Things are melting around here,hopefully he'll soon have some nice juicy worms
He is hanging out in my big Blue Spruce where they usually nest every summer..I can't wait for spring

[hazelrunpack]

Yep, and all his buddies are heading back to see him. Didn't see any robins today, but I did see a bluebird and they usually migrate at about the same time. I can't wait to see my first robin of the year!

[CyberKitten]

Good news that he is still alive - did you make him a house or somewhere to keep warm at least? Burlap over a birdbath - I am thinking out loud here. I will ask my nurse friend who has 5 birds of her own but she is always having one orn or another it seems, sigh so she may not be the best source.

I'd feed him so he has lots of energy to keep warm (Was thinking of a program I saw today about some bears who had less energy because there was less snowfall in northern Ont, like here too for that matter - one of the probs of global warming.) Robins are a hearty bird so he has that going for him and he you for food - he just needs to keep warm!!!

[Maya]

I just had to say how sweet he looks all fluffed up trying to keep warm on that bird bath.

[chico2]

Hazel,oh I wish we had Bluebirds they are beautiful,but live mostly in the countryside,I think
We get many different birds,especially in the spring,but many like orioles,buntings,crossbeaks etc...just stopover on their way somewhere else.
I love all birds,even the noisy Cracklers who should be back soon.
We time opening the pool by the Cracklers house-cleaning they like to drop poop from their nests on the poolcover and when the babies are out of the nest,then we can open the pool...
I also get lots of gold-finches,pretty little things..I think I have a pic of them,although you can hardly see them

CK,the Robin takes care of his own nest-building,I have birdhouses but I have never seen a Robin go in to one.
I think he stuck around here because of my heated bird-bath,where he always had water.
Apparently birds waste a lot of needed energy in the winter eating snow for water,so my birdbath heater was a good investment.

[clm]

I've had robins stick around some winters too. This poor guy sure picked a bad one. A lot of the early arrivals get caught here in nasty weather too. I've seen 2 at my feeders the past week. They'll take cracked corn from my feeders, so I always make sure I get a mix that has cracked corn in it this time of year. They eat berries that are left on the bushes too. Hopefully it'll get warm soon and they'll be able to eat all the worms and insects their little hearts desire.

Cindy

[hazelrunpack]

Originally Posted by chico2

...I also get lots of gold-finches,pretty little things...

We get lots of goldfinches, too--all year round. They're just starting to turn yellow now. What are Cracklers? Never heard of them! I don't think we get any here... I can relate to the fecal sac story, though--the phoebes at my inlaws next door used to bring the sacs over here and bomb the dogs with them (unintentionally, I think maybe not )

We get lots of migrants, too--my favorites are warblers...so colorful!

And of course, my old standby buddies, the chickadees:



We had a huge winter group of chickadees this year--at least 13, probably more.

I thought I had a pic of the bluebird from last year (from afar...) but I don't see it, so I must not have scanned it in. We get two nesting pairs here--oddly, since we're in a wooded area. And no wrens--also surprising, since we're in perfect habitat for them!

[chico2]

Hazel,I always thought they were called Cracklers,but I am wrong,they are called Grackles and more commonly just ordinary Black-Birds
I saw one today,so it means spring is not far off
I too had a lot of Chickadees all winter,they are adorable and love teasing the cats when we are outside.