Why do Birds Suddenly Appear?

Friendly Robins

Robins are often associated with gardeners, following them around and sitting on the spade handle when you are having a rest. You might even have a robin in the garden that is tame enough to feed by hand. It also means robins are incredibly easy to photograph close up and will happily pose for a photo.

There are a few reasons which may explain why robins appear friendlier than other birds (even though they are pretty territorial themselves and will fight other robins attempting to get a look in). When robins live in the wild in woods or forests they are known to follow large mammals, such as wild boar or deer, using their inbuilt curiosity to find new ways to find food.

As the animals move around they disturb the ground bringing worms and insects to the surface which robins can easily forage on. In more urban areas robins are mimicking this behaviour by following humans, taking advantage of the freshly dug up soil to find food.

Robins in other areas of Europe aren’t quite as trusting, hardly leaving the cover of the forest.  There has long been a tradition of hunting and trapping small birds on the continent so robins have remained fearful of humans. Here in Ireland they have co-existed with humans for many years and learned that there is no threat in being close to us. In fact they may be at an advantage by being friendly towards humans as they are rewarded with food.

How Do Birds Find Food?

We had quite a long break putting food out for the birds over the summer and autumn. There doesn’t seem any point when there is an abundance of food elsewhere and it keeps them from being totally dependent on us to feed them.

We started putting out the fat balls and seed a week or so ago and it’s amazing just how quickly the birds twig on to the fact their dinner is not dangling eight feet from the ground from a wire mesh container. For an hour or two there was nothing, then one bird, then 3, then ten and it wasn’t long before three or four different types of bird types were flying around making a ruckus.

It’s that same sort of experience when you drop a chip on the beach and within a few seconds the seagulls make you think you are in a remake of the Alfred Hitchcock film The Birds.

Our garden feathered friends are always around though even if we don’t see or hear them. Being small and warm-blooded, birds need to eat frequently to keep their energy levels up so they spend much of the time on the lookout for new food sources. They will fly around or survey the area from the tops of trees constantly searching for anything that could be a potential new source of food and our gardens will probably be surveyed on a daily fly-by.

Most birds use vision to find food. And because they spend so much time searching for food they become quite good at it. Birds also have good memories which helps them remember where food may be or look out for changes in the landscape that may signal food is about.

A Keen Eye

Birds may even be able to recognize bird feeders, not because of evolution, but simply because they are familiar with them. They may also start to learn the routines of people putting out food in their garden. There are times you’ll go out in the garden to be greeted with a few birds already waiting for you.

Once a bird has found a source of food, it generally can’t keep the new found supply to itself. In the excitement it may call to its mate or if there is plenty to go round to other members of its flock. However, if other uninvited birds turn up then they may begin fighting over food and the threat calls can alert other birds that something interesting is going on so they will join the party.

Despite this, sometimes new feeders can be left neglected for days or even weeks. We had one a few years ago which was never touched. I think it could have been the fact that we put it too close to the house and the only birds brave enough to come forward would have been robins. The feeder was filled with peanuts though which robins don’t really go for so everything went a bit mouldy. It’s a bit of trial and error getting the perfect food and spot for the birds in your garden but they will soon know when you get it right.

A Happy new gardening year to all