How do I lure a robin??

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sammyc85

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Samantha
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I really want to get a few shots of a robin but haven't seen one in my garden for a while. I hear they aren't really seed eaters, so what's best?
 
tell them you've got batman, and they've got until sunset to present themselves at the old warehouse....


or for a more sensible answer , meal worms
 
I find the Robin in my garden will have a go at food from a general bird food. Usually the flakes. However They are carnivores so if you could try live food such as meal worms. You can get these from some pet shops ( My birds didn't fancy the dried versions) but outlets like Garden Bird Supplies will send them mail order
 
Mealworm is supposed to be a favourite.

I put down seed in the woods every morning when I walk my dog and the little fellow in the pic follows me. Comes to within 2 feet.

robin33.jpg
 
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Maggots/casters.... they love them when I'm out fishing and once they've sussed you out, will end up landing on your bait tub to help themselves.
 
Dig the garden (or pretend to), best on hands and knees. Our usually hops around very close, sometimes too close to focus. Once it was on my shoulder.

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They always nest in the trees at the back of our garden. Last year we had a family of them.
 
big soft moose said:
tell them you've got batman, and they've got until sunset to present themselves at the old warehouse....

or for a more sensible answer , meal worms
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I'd have said Catwoman myself ;-)
 
specialman said:
Maggots/casters.... they love them when I'm out fishing and once they've sussed you out, will end up landing on your bait tub to help themselves.
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another vote here for maggots/casters, ive had them sat on my bait tubs before , perched on my rod and even had one cheeky bugger sat on the end of the peak of my cap...would love to see if i could get one to feed from my hand (y)
 
Maggots are a fave, any local tackle shop, a pint of them is around £2-3 but thats a lot, ask for a quarter pint but usually they do half pints, good to see some fellow fishermen around here as well
 
Robins do like maggots. As do blackbirds, starlings, sparrows etc. :)



If putting maggots out in a garden it's a good idea to kill them first to prevent them hiding before the birds arrive (and to stop them turning in to blue bottles). Either scald them with boiling water, or seal them in a bag and freeze them for a couple of days. Half a pint will last ages - unless a flock of starlings descends!
 
I agree with the maggot idea. Or dig up some worms - seeing a robin eat a worm as long as itself is both awesome and a little scary.
 
Robins will take seeds (eg sunflower hearts) but they are insect/grub eaters.

If you have any robins nearby then I agree with the idea of digging in the garden. They will spot you and be down to see what bugs etc you have exposed.

I've not tried maggots but the robins around here will do almost anything for live mealworms - we had one that would take a meal worm or two from a pot on the window sill then fly in through the kitchen window and out the back door.

In our garden it has to be live ones, the dried ones are ignored, though I have heard other people have had success.

An advantage of mealworms over maggots is that if they escape being eaten they develop into innocuous beetles rather than bluebottles, but a disadvantage is mealworms are not cheap.

Mealworms are liked by many birds - great tits, blue tits, blackbirds, great spotted woodpeckers, and, a little unfortunately, magpies. Superb birds to see but the mealworms will go in one sitting.

Dave
 
Suet sprinkles / pellets. Ideally the insect ones.

Our local Robins love these when it is cold!
 
Lol thanks for all the comments guys! I got myself some dry mealworms and have sprinkled a few down. I think I'm going to go to the local nature reserve and lake, maybe sprinkle some there and wait to see what turns up!
The maggots sounds fun but I'd be so frightened to touch them lol (not one for creepy crawlies)
 
sammyc85 said:
The maggots sounds fun but I'd be so frightened to touch them lol (not one for creepy crawlies)
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Wuss!

The hard core fishermen put them in their mouth to warm them up before using in the winter you know! Or at least they used to.

:puke:
 
Simon photo said:
You mean insert a pencil in each nostril, put your pants on your head and go wibble wibble wibble
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Ha, no, because he said "your" not "you're" :LOL:

I spotted a robin in our garden recently, must try some worms. Trouble is, our cat attacks any birds that enter the garden.
 
I just moved the bird table and put some suet balls down.
Within a minute this little fella popped down.
I rushed to get my camera, and he was still there, happy as larry.

Ill keep feeding him and see if I can get any closer.
Light was fading fast, so couldnt get any better shots.

This one was a fluke I reckon 1/50th, f/2.8 at 200mm, ISO 6400!


Our garden Robin by TCR4x4, on Flickr
 
specialman said:
Here's one from today's shoot that was partial to maggots and worms we kept throwing to him :)

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Think you need to stop feeding him.......thon branch he's perched on was vertical before he landed on it!
Surprised it didn't break. :LOL:
 
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