robin reliant

 

8th Feb
Sunny Monday so we went for a birdwatching photo-shoot to Warriston. It is exactly a mile to the nearest entry, the squeeze through the frozen East Gate. Backpacks off and try to recall the climbing skills Mary! I had been putting bread and seeds on the brick feeders in the gardened area near the cyclepath. The walled area has been well looked after and improved by Graham who also does a FoWC website and takes photos of the wildlife.

So when we saw a bloke pushing a wheelbarrow I asked him was he Graham. He said he was and I said how I'd been admiring his photos. He said thanks but otherwise blanked us and went past a couple more times without so much as a hello. It was quite unsettling behaviour and after a short time taking photos of the robin there, we moved off. He may just have been concentrating on the work he was doing or not having a great Monday but has now been labelled Grumpy Graham until proving otherwise! 

So instead we moved down to see if the robins near the river (opposite Lady Haig's Poppy Factory) were about. After a short while one of them appeared and from how close it was prepared to come to us I reckoned it was the one that was hand-feeding last time. This time I had brought live mealworms from the pet shop. In the past they have proved popular with the robins. 

I got the feeling the robin was no more keen on worms than the bread I had tempted it with before. Mary offered the theory that they eat worms because they have to. Homemade bread is more of a rare treat. I tested this theory by holding out some bread to see if it would fly to my hand. It seemed unafraid of our proximity and sat un-nervously on a nearby branch for a while before flying over and hovering for a quarter second in front of my hand and taking a piece of bread. I heard Mary's camera click before and after and thought she had missed the moment by a mile. I took a photo as well but it is tricky getting the timing right with one hand while making no sudden movements with the other. Turns out Mary got the moment better than I did! She is getting some great results from her new bridge camera - a mid-range Lumix FZ330. 

hold it.....
photo: Mary obvs! (I am wearing a robin coloured hat.)

snap!
robin doing a hummingbird impression

my effort!

It is an utter thrill to have a robin as a pal! Okay I exaggerate, we haven't swapped numbers yet but he, if he is a he, is one of the few woodland creatures who doesn't run a mile as humans walk through his patch. And seems curious enough to actually make himself known as we wander here. He could easily hide in the depths of ivy as the squirrels and wrens do. My mum was always a fan of the robins that would sit near while she gardened and turned over dirt and worms. But I think there is more to it than just looking for handouts. They definitely have more than one style of singing. There is that easily recognisable burbling loud song they blast out, beak fully open, when announcing their territorial claims or calling for a mate or whatever it is. But there is also a quiet song they sing when they hardly open their beaks at all - and to me it seems much more like a conversation to those nearby rather than a challenge. I certainly talk back to them when there is nobody else about!

Having had the full robin experience we walked up to the centre of the cemetery to check the tall trees for treecreepers and nuthatches. (Contrary Mary suggested they should be pronounced nu-thatches.) There was a light dusting of snow and the sun was out which made the place sparkle, but it was also Baltic and not really standing-around weather. We had a quick look but couldn't see anything until I spotted a goldcrest. Unusually it wasn't moving like a wee motorised bamstick, their normal. It was taking a half-second more between hops and out of 29 photos I shot over 70 seconds, some were actually nearly in focus or free of blur! They don't have a spectacular plumage apart from that titular gold crest so I feel a good photo has to have that visible. And the light was nearly perfect as my compact struggles in anything less. It was as close as I've come to getting a decent shot but still the battle continues. Along with wrens who have also eluded me this year but may be getting bolder as the mating season approaches.

All in all as things move towards double digit temperatures and the hibernating butterflies twitch in their cold storage, things are really kicking off. Mary proved a bridge camera, even an inexpensive one, can get better images than a high end compact. I would have bought an FZ2000, the best Panasonic bridge camera, were we not in a lockdown when I can't be sure when the next wage I will earn might be. But I suspect a walking camera is the next purchase. I had a good chat with another keen wildlifer, Alan, in Warriston. He uses the only other bridge camera that gets better reviews than the Panasonic. However the Sony is something like 2 to 2.5 times the price. He replaced his collection of DSLR equipment and lenses with this one camera - due to ease of use and weight. And gets really sharp results. If I win the lottery that would be the result.

nearly! Just a wee bit not-sharp-enough.

sharper but no crest!

Mary wielding her new walking camera.
Great results.

Every time we went close to the East Gate there was talk of hot soup and lunch and I would try and steer us onwards towards the friendly robin spot near the East Gate. Sometimes he is there, sometimes not. Sometimes I whistle and call to him only to turn around to see him a yard away from my shoulder looking at me as if to say I'm right here stupid. However on this occasion there was no sign of him and then the snow started. Lightly at first. Time for lunch! I think we had been out for most of 2 hrs and not moving enough to generate much heat. On the way home the snow really started to fall. Nice to get out and chat to the robin though. Best medicine for your soul.