this post was submitted on 01 Jun 2026
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Casual UK

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[–] Skua@kbin.earth 7 points 1 month ago (1 children)

A couple of them were kind enough to join me for lunch recently! I think I've seen most of them, save for a couple of the finches and also the woodpecker. I did hear the woodpecker, but that's quite a lot easier than seeing one!

A photo of a European robin taking off from a table

[–] LadyButterfly@reddthat.com 4 points 1 month ago

That photo made me smile

[–] DakRalter@thelemmy.club 5 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (2 children)

Back when I was a kid, we had all these on our street except bullfinch, woodpecker and goldcrest.

Over the years, all the lawns have been turned to patios, nearly all the trees have been cut down and with all the cats, I can't even feed what few birds we have left. So I don't think I've seen any birds this week :( I hear a few great tits churring and a couple of weeks ago there was a blackbird whose song sounded similar to the one of the tame one I used to have. He was killed by a psycho cat. His song had been passed down the generations on my street, it was the same song from when I was a kid. And it ended when that cat got him 😡

I used to have a tame robin and great tit.

Edit: looks like my SD card is corrupted again :(

[–] Skua@kbin.earth 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Ahh, shame about the SD card. The photo of the robins is delightful!

[–] DakRalter@thelemmy.club 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago) (1 children)

That robin was supertame. He and his mate just kept having brood after brood because they knew all he had to do was look at me with his big eyes and I'd buy another kilo of worms. He used to chase his juveniles and even his mate away sometimes, he was a little savage. He got a respiratory illness and I didn't know you could take wild birds to the vet.

I have the photos on my PC, for some reason the sd card on my phone always corrupts and so did the replacement, so I don't know if I got two fake cards or if it's just an android thing. I don't have that issue on my old android 6 tablet or my old android 2 phone 🤷🏽‍♀

[–] Skua@kbin.earth 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I think every robin I have ever observed interacting with other birds has been a violent little bastard hahaha. Maybe they're less a symbol of Christmas and more one of the Boxing Day sales

And hey, it's a shame that he died like that, but it sounds like you gave him a proper life of luxury for a wild animal. It's beautiful that he trusted you so much

[–] DakRalter@thelemmy.club 2 points 1 month ago* (last edited 1 month ago)

Yeah, robins are friendly with humans, but are fiercely territorial with other robins and if neither backs down in a fight, they can fight to the death.

There was a poem I read once and I can't find it anywhere. It was about a robin strutting proudly and ended with the reason being that "he killed his father in a fight". I wish I could find it again!

I have a fun fact about robins!

https://autistics.life/@SilverArrows/114763194894486510

[–] TheOakTree@lemmy.zip 3 points 1 month ago

My favorite thing about visiting my parents, outside of seeing my parents and their dogs, is that the neighborhood still has a good amount of trees and vegetation. Birds love it, and I love birds, so it works out.

But also they're pesky and keep eating the unripe blueberries.

[–] WalleyeWarrior@midwest.social 3 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I see plenty of house sparrows every day. I live in Ohio and they are invasive and cause serious problems in urban areas here.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 2 points 1 month ago

That's because the houses in Ohio have never had any natural predators.

[–] UncleArthur@lemmy.world 2 points 1 month ago

All of them. We live in the rural Welsh Marches.

[–] Anchorxiety@reddthat.com 2 points 1 month ago

My favourite are the tits, all kinds of tits.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 2 points 1 month ago (1 children)

I love wood pigeons! So friend shaped!

[–] yakko@feddit.uk 1 points 1 month ago (2 children)

They are cute, but I could do without their sort of "aroo, durr, aroo bleehhh" sort of groan. There are some blackbirds in the area that sing beautifully though, it's my fav thing about the wildlife in the southwest. Didn't get that in Bedford, tell you what!

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 2 points 1 month ago

There's a juvenile black bird in my parents garden and it doesn't seem to know what a blackbird is supposed to sound like. It keeps coming up with all sorts of weird noises that no bird before has ever made, but it is definitely just a stupid juvenile blackbird. It goes weeeeeeeeewop weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeewop weewop weeeeeeeewop

If there are any birdologists out there who can explain what the hell is wrong with it I'd love to know.

[–] Flax_vert@feddit.uk 1 points 1 month ago

I love the pigeon noises

[–] FishFace@piefed.social 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Do we include ones not on this slightly strange list?

[–] LadyButterfly@reddthat.com 1 points 1 month ago

Strangely I'll allow it

[–] lucidity@hexbear.net 1 points 1 month ago

Magpie and woodpigeon, the rest of these birds are too small have you got anything for someone who never remembers to bring her glasses out?

[–] SavinDWhales@lemmy.world 1 points 1 month ago

I live in the heart of a big city (Hamburg, Germany). However, we have a lot of trees and greens in Hamburg, so I saw Blackbirds, Sparrows, Robins, a Wren and last night, a pair of great tits. 😊

[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Last I saw was a starling, which was odd because I was in Melbourne at the time.

[–] Skua@kbin.earth 4 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It was intentionally introduced there in the 1800s by people who wanted it to do pest control

[–] LadyButterfly@piefed.blahaj.zone 1 points 1 month ago (2 children)

Any ideas how it worked out?

[–] frunch@lemmy.world 4 points 1 month ago

New pest dropped: Starlings

[–] Skua@kbin.earth 1 points 1 month ago (1 children)

It eats pests, but it also eats a bunch of other things. Like pretty much every single time humans have done this, it had unintended and negative consequences

[–] LadyButterfly@piefed.blahaj.zone 0 points 1 month ago (1 children)

Yep... you'd think we'd learn

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 1 points 1 month ago

It's basically just a very uncinematic version of Jurassic park.