OT. Lost my birdie friend.

Shirley Shone · 2004-10-12T12:45:54+00:00

I fear that I have lost the robin that I have hand fed since early spring. He or she came to my hand many times in a day to be fed meal worms. It would stay there and pick up as many as 6 worms and fly away only to come back for more a few moments later. It would prance up and down on the garden wall outside my back window , to let me know it wanted more if there was none left in the special feeding cage I had made. He would watch me as I walked through the kitchen and be there when I opened the door. He would even come into the kitchen to the pot of worms I kept on the floor. About 5 weeks ago he brought the entire family of young ones. There had been three lots of babies. They were lined up on the wall and were shown where the worms were and how to get them. It was a lovely thing to see. I gave us a few days fun watching all the baby robins find the food. Eventually they flew off for pastures new but my old faithful stayed. He still came to be fed of my hand or from the pot in my hand. He went through a patch of moulting and looked quite scrawny for a while. On Sunday when he came to my hand he looked very fine and fit with bright coloured feathers. However yesterday morning when he came he was having problems. He kept stretching his neck and looked as if he was trying to vomit something up. I could hear a little wheezy sound coming from his beak. He ate a couple of worms. I went to put my other hand round him but he flew off before I could do so. Later in the morning he came back to the bird table and sat there huffing and puffing himself up and seemed to be trying to get rid of something. I opened the kitchen door and he came in and took a couple of worms from the pot. The wheezing was worse. Again I could not catch him. He flew off and I did not see him again yesterday. The worms are still in the pot outside, not been touched. I have been down the garden several times at the places he came to feed. I only had to call him and he would...

Oct 12, 2004 28 Replies

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Carol in SLC 21 years ago

What an amazing photo, Shirley. How lucky you are to have had such a sweet friend, and he you.

Carol in SLC Some of my stuff:

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starlia 21 years ago

I'm so sorry. He must have really brightened your day. I know I would have loved that.

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roxan 21 years ago

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Shirley Shone 21 years ago

There as been no sign of any robin the last 2 days.

I only made a 40 mile round trip on Friday to buy 500 grams of meal worms. None have been touched. I will wait a few days and maybe I will have to give the greedy starlings a good feed.

It is getting too cold to sit outside hoping I can tame another robin if one comes.

I feel really down but at least he was fed good food and had his freedom and not caged up.

I thank everyone for their commiseration's Shirley

In message , roxan writes

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Cheryl 21 years ago

Oh Shirley

that's so sad.... I know mom and dad were sad when they lost their white squirrel....

but - you seem to have a way with birds. You will have to make a new friend....

hugs...

Cheryl DRAGON BEADS Flameworked beads and glass

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roxan 21 years ago

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Shirley Shone 21 years ago

Thank Roxan and everybody else who replied. I have altered the feeding stations today so it does not remind me as much.

The weather is now getting too inclement to think of standing outside for long.

So maybe next spring.

Shirley

In message , roxan writes

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Margie 21 years ago

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Marisa Cappetta 21 years ago

(Shirley) I'm sorry he's gone. The little guy was indeed a friend, he came to you even to the end. Such a blessing.

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