Wednesday 26 November 2014

Wild Bird Wednesday 124 - Robin

When I was back in the UK one of the things I really enjoyed was catching up with the kinds of birds I used to see around my house everyday.  Nowadays I see Australian Magpies and two or threes species of parrot most days, along with a few introduced birds. So, seeing robins, tits, finches and warblers was a real treat.

What surprised me when I got back home to Australia was how few pictures I had taken of these 'domestic' species - at least part of the reason for that is that I often saw them when I was sat in a garden (beer or otherwise) and I was not in photographic mode!

So, in celebration of the common and the everyday, I give you a Robin from the UK.  This is a common, and trusting species, in the UK.  As far as I am aware this species is much less domesticated in the rest of Europe.

As you will notice if you are not from Europe this is not the bird you call a robin - presumably the robins in other parts of the world gained this name via the possession of a red breast rather than a shared evolutionary history.

Anyway - this rather obliging bird stayed still enough form me to photograph it, even if it did have a fondness for the shadows of a hedge.




And now it is over to you - click the blue button to link in with WBW and off your go!



47 comments:

  1. i love those european robins. sweet little pear-shaped birds. :)

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  2. Stewart, great shots of this cute Robin.. It is very different than our American Robin.. Thanks for hosting, enjoy your week!

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  3. I think European robins are so cute! It's easy to overlook the birds that are common to us...even though tey may be exotic somewhere else.

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  4. HI Stewart Yes I have a Robin in my garden and it gets quite close to me when I am gardening. Great shots. Thanks for hosting.

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  5. What a cutie ... our Robins are bigger, fatter, more red but sweet. They are also comfortable around people, but not to the extent that you could pick them up or hand feed them. They will except an offering from a plate on the ground though ... you rarely see them at feeders because they eat insects and worms. Last spring when it stayed cold for so long and they were already back, I put meal worms on the ground by the feeders and they came. Great shot, Stewart.

    Andrea @ From The Sol

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  6. Hi Stewart,
    Beautiful photos of the robin, perfectly photographed.
    This is similar to that in the Netherlands.
    I have now also behind the house in the garden.
    I hope to shoot this soon.

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  7. What a cutie!! Such terrific captures -- as always, Stewart!! Hope your week is going well!!

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  8. You got some great shots of the little guy. They are usually too busy for photographs. Yes, birding and beer probably don't go together. Thank goodness for image stablization!

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  9. I love robins. They are adorable, but they seldom let you very close here.

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  10. Robin, finch, wren...whatever. I love birds. Must be those sweet widdle eyes.

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  11. Hi Stewart, I really like Robins. We call the the garden security guards. Thank you so much for the donation to help the Hen Harriers on my just giving page. I really am grateful for it.

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  12. Beautiful photos of the Robin !
    I really love these lovely birds !
    They are so cute !
    Greetings

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  13. Lovley Robin ,i like photo 2 i can see his toughts ,have a nice day ,nette

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  14. Great photos and it looks just like in the picture books I had as a child. I don't know why - but all of my books about nature were books from England - maybe there wasn't a big enough market for local children's books???

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  15. Great to see one of our Robins up here Stewart. If only Disney had known the difference when making Mary Poppins!

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  16. Cute bird and great photos of him/her!

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  17. ...much prettier than American robins!!!

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  18. Your robin is quite pretty! You'd think people that speak the same language could agree with botanical names, too, but I know from moving to New Zealand that it ain't so!!

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  19. I've always liked the UK version of the robin! They're cute little things! These are beautiful photos!

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  20. Robins are beautiful little birds. Very much more delicate than their hardier counterparts here in the US:)

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  21. Enjoyed your shots of the European robins!

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  22. Smaller than the red breasted Robins I'm used to, but just as pretty. Nice shots, Stewart!

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  23. Beautiful shots... perfect focus! And you're right, doesn't looks much like our robins here in California!

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  24. Sweet looking little birdies. So different from 'our' clunky Robins.
    MB

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  25. Their colorful breast is so rich looking while they are much smaller than the American. Maybe we do eat too much out this way...LOL! Happy Thanksgiving, Stewart!...:)JP

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  26. Amazing photos or a tricky little fellow.

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  27. One of my favourite birds! I loved their early morning piping notes in the gardens of Golders Green, even in the winter.

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  28. Lovely shots! Thanks for hosting, Stewart.

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  29. A pleasant reminder to us all of the species that we take for granted. I have a pair in the garden that are very friendly and follow me about when I am gardening. Its due to this behaviour of my garden Robins that made me aware and therefore the bird watcher that I am today.

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  30. I love our Robins, but I am always moved by the beauty of the ones found in the UK. You shared some beauties~

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  31. What a charming little bird, I love its long legs. Great photos.

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  32. Yes,I bet you got all misty eyed over that Robin Stewart. It's crazy I know but Robins are almost totally ignored by most birders in the UK because they are so common.

    Thanks for hosting the birding party once gain.

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  33. Such a pretty little bird. It looks all propped up on those tiny stilt-like legs.

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  34. I too have been guilty of ignoring the interesting and often quite beautiful "common" birds. Well, your Robin is simply exotic to me!

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  36. A most endearing bird and as you say, they can become very tame especially if you provide a source of food. They are around all year but they represent Christmas even to expats in exotic lands!!

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  37. It's such a beautiful robin! Love that second photo so much! I learned the European robin was different when I read The Secret Garden as a young person, and was a little jealous (I say this and cringe...I'm being mean to OUR robins!) that you had a smaller, more friendly bird. I'm a terrible person! :-~

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  38. It's easy to overlook the birds we see every day. Like vultures, for me. Thank you for posting your ordinary birds because I never get to see them otherwise.

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  39. I love the UK robins, so different to the North American robins. Lovely photos of a cute lens friend.

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  40. The European Robin is colorful, and much more delicate-looking than the American ones that come here every spring then leave every fall. I like the peachy color of it's chest.

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  41. Great photo of a little darling. Robins are so cute.

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