To worry about 'my robin'?

You sound great OP.

I have a couple of robins in the garden now.

Off the brush the dogs.

Yay, glad little robin is back.

Awwww, what a lovely update @InAPickle12345 ! Robins are so cute and friendly aren't they?! One took some mealworms out of my palm last winter and was sat there for a good 20 seconds. I was so pissed off that there was no-one with me to film it or photograph it. 😆

p.s. although they are friendly towards humans, they are hostile and quite aggressive towards other birds! I see crows, pigeons, sparrows, rooks, starlings, wagtails, thrush, bluetits, finches, and magpies pootling along on my garage roof, all in harmony, bouncing around together, getting mealworms, peanuts, and suet pellets, all trotting around each other.

The robins though... nope. They wait til they have all gone and go alone to grab what's left. They don't like other birds much! 😆

Pleased he’s back OP.

The birds in my garden are getting a bit frisky already. Filling nest boxes and flirting with each other. Maybe he’s been looking for a mate.

Oh, this was such a lovely thread to stumble across. I'm so happy he's home, OP!

I put some nuts out for the squirrel, because it was looking quite think, but I see the birds have been at them as well.

Yes!
A couple of years ago I read an article about a medium, the difference being it wasn’t a middle aged woman with long hair and flowing clothes, it was a young man with muscles and tattoos.
In the article he said if you believe they will send you a sign. My first reaction was scepticism, not sure my dead grandmother was going to visit me at any time.

Ten minutes later I went outside to check on the washing and a robin flew straight towards me and at the very last minute flew over my head missing me by inches.
Yes you’ve guessed it my grandmother always fed robins and had several over the years who are from her hand.

Hope your robin returns op; fingers crossed.

They are particularly friendly with humans especially gardeners aren’t they. Apparently not so in other countries which is supposed to be because they were hunted elsewhere.

Wonderful news, @InAPickle12345 - thanks for updating us!

@GerundTheBehemoth
Amazing isn't it!

The European longevity record is much longer (19 years 4 months + - https://euring.org/data-and-codes/longevity-list?page=4) V impressive for a little passerine, though House Sparrow is even longer (19 years 9 months+).

@InAPickle12345
PP have mentioned that Robins have a short life. Whilst the average age is believed to be around 2 years, some get quite a bit older. The oldest recorded was 12. I recaptured a robin last month that was at least 6 years old ( I'm a trainee bird ringer licensed to capture and ring garden birds).
This morning I was out on my usual walk where one of the local robins sat on my hand eating mealworms. He was lovely! Best thing to encourage Themis live mealworms held out Ona flat palm as your first offering of the day. Initially they will have a good look. If they aren't keen leave the food nearby so they get their treat. After a few mornings you should get lucky.

My Robin is happily bashing away at the fat balls! And the blackbirds and various tits are too. They have to work a bit harder, but seem to be gradually demolishing them. I can't put stuff on the ground or a bird table due to rats! The Dunnock lives under the fat ball feeder picking up the bits that get dropped.

One thing you can do to help birds survive is put out water that isn't frozen. Try to do it at the same time every day.

When it snows I find our local park fills up with them begging food from walkers. So if you're round South London he might be there

So if you are able, and can afford it, please get some suet pellets or mealworms, or get some birdseed (and put it in bird feeders,) and leave some food out for our dear feathered friends. 😍 They will love you for it.

Absolutely this, but can I just say don’t bother with fat balls this time of year because they freeze into little hard rocks!
I also sprinkle some suet on the ground as my Dunnocks don’t like the bird feeder and prefer eating from the ground.

It's not true that the max lifespan is just a couple of years - some ringed wild Robins have reached double figures (and the European record is almost 20 years).

Last year I heated a pan of water and put it on the ice in the birdbath, melts it gradually.

This year I have been trudging up the garden with jugs of hot water to pour over and finally got the last of it melted yesterday, I put a plastic ball in which is meant to blow about and keep it from freezing. It didn't but made it easier to pull some of the ice off.

I have filled a plant pot with straw, and sat a plastic plant tray in it, seems to stop the bottom freezing and I am able to pull the ice out and refill, but as it isn't in the usual place they don't seem to use it. I need to re-design it, but rooting through old pots in the cold isn't easy when they are stuck together with ice.

I keep looking for some kind of heater but they all require a plug in source and have leads, which the squirrels chew through.

If you are putting food out remember to put something that water can sit in too. I use a pot saucer but a massive one. Every morning recently I have had to empty solid ice out of it. It is plastic so I can bend it and it removes it like an ice cube tray. I refill and all the birds including robins come to drink and bathe. Despite the cold we still have robins, blackbirds, sparrows and pigeons. I haven't had collared doves for a while now. I put food out every day and it is all gone by the next morning.

Oh no. This has nothing to do with the crows, has it?!

'My' robin became a pair, and recently 3 when they all appeared at the same time. I feed them.
I am concerned about the woodies, they have gradually disappeared, also the various types of dove. I do have what seems to be some abandoned racing pigeons that have arrived in the last couple of months.
Rarely there is a green woodpecker but he was here this week, and a black & white one today, flew away before I go a better look. They must be struggling for food and water. Have had to thaw the birdbath every day. Pigeons sitting either side looking at each other in confusion in the mornings.

What an adorable thread!!! 😆 You sound lovely @InAPickle12345 and don't worry, your robin is OK. Birds have been around since the dinosaurs! (Indeed, the evolved from them!)

Also, just as a warning to people, if you see a bird and he/she looks fat, please don't assume they have eaten a lot ...! They puff out/fluff out their feathers to trap warmth in under their feathers. So if you are able, and can afford it, please get some suet pellets or mealworms, or get some birdseed (and put it in bird feeders,) and leave some food out for our dear feathered friends. 😍 They will love you for it.

And it's such a tonic to see the lovely little things munching the food you put out for them! ALSO, put a shallow dish full of water every day if you can, as with it being so cold, many places they would normally get water are frozen over!

Anyway, hope your little friend returns too OP! 🐦

@NeverTalksToStrangers2 · Today 12:18

Did you know that some believe robins are signs that deceased loved ones are still with us?

After my dad died both me and my sister would see robins all the time. One used to come into their house and would perch on my niece's finger. I saw one on his grave once too. Even if there's no truth in it, it's still lovely.

I have heard this too. Lovely isn't it?