How to tame a robin!

Filmed by Zoe Broughton, this short clip shows the young robin we have tamed coming to feed from my hand! I am usually working with hedgehogs - campaigning to help them and running this petition - www.change.org...
and working with - www.britishhed...
Hope you enjoy - and let me know if you manage to tame your own bird.

[@shary5165]

As a child, one of my friends & I raised a robin chick that had fallen from his nest. (We decided to name it Pete, although we had no idea of its gender). We tried to teach Pete how to get a worm but he took it a different way. Instead of digging around with his beak, he just pestered one of us to go get one! When fall came around, he migrated south with the other robins. I thought that was the last tim I'd see Pete. But the following spring, one day, there he was, clutching on the screen door, demanding a worm. This continued for three more years.

[@Artsy_videogaming345]

Omg that’s so sweet and cool do you ever see him anymore? Or is he gone? Either way, that’s amazing!

[@ajw280170]

Thank you high, I have a nesting robin in my workshop dive bombing my head every couple of minutes so I thought why not try to feed it , I dug up a worm and just put on my palm , held up my hand and hey presto the robin took it first time , I’m over the moon and very lucky xx

[@eileenpritchard9154]

I will try that,THANKYOU.

[@deedevon7468]

I’ve got a robin up on a lamp area outside the house and lately it’s ben doing the same thing! Didn’t know what it meant until recently, and while I’m not ready to feed it by hand, I might offer some worms up lol

[@docmain999]

i have one sitting on a wreath right outside my front door so i figured i might as well befriend it

[@juliakaczmarek2191]

"i specialise in hedgehogs" is my new favorite sentence. U rock

[@joshuamason1221]

We have a Robin that has started coming in to our house 😅 he's not quite got the courage to land on anyone yet but he likes to explore the shelves and high up spots, he even seems to like teasing the dogs when they're out in the garden, he'll land a few feet from them and watch till they notice and then flit away as they get close. He's made our Jack Russel run into the fence a few times now. I've never seen so much personality in such a small creature.

[@joanaggas3079]

I found a baby robin today in my garden. He can fly but not really good. I turned the hose on and he loved it. Put out some birdseed, a strawberry and i dug up some worms for him.

[@garyowens1517]

Many years ago an elderly friend of mine had a Robin that used to come into his kitchen and sit on his hand a feed . Afterwards he would then sit on the top of my friends hat. It's the most amazing thing I've ever seen. That Robin used to come every day for a good few years.

[@hughwarwick5283]

Some of my best wildlife moments have come in the company of robins ...

[@iamkotutu9512]

This is so lovely. I'm taming my budgies indoors whilst I can see my husband outside taming the robins we believe to be nesting near our garden shed 😆 Love our wildlife 🥰

[@iamkotutu9512]

@@oldstyle-Danish-exmil.officer 'heavy load of responsibility' sounds HEAVY haha, but I think even if they're not tamed, I still feel a deep sense of care and responsibility because they're a living creature :)

[@proxyoflove]

So true, I live on a boat in Reading and several different Robins now actually enter the boat and take cheese (especially).

[@IMHAVINHOOPS]

My grandad had a Robin that would join him whenever he left the house. Whatever he was doing on the farm the little robin would be perched on my Grandads flat cap!

[@BirdBath1]

IMHAVINHOOPS, look at bird bath

[@hughwarwick5283]

those connections a so precious

[@Catncrystals]

Hugh i love you as much as i love hedgehogs and robins. This has to be the best video of 2023 ive seen .. thank you kind sir im gonna try this .. all the best from scotland

[@hughwarwick5283]

thank you so much!

[@philiphost3349]

I have one and it sits in my hand for a minute, live mealworms are the best, they love them, it is so amazing

[@hughwarwick5283]

never tried live mealworms ....

[@michaelhowes3575]

A few years back I had a day trip with my family in N. Ireland to Oxford Island Nature Reserve, located on the South-Eastern shores of Lough Neagh. Upon a visit to their Woodland Area, you were also able to hand-feed not only ROBINS, but also some BLUETITS

[@hughwarwick5283]

it is such a pleasure!

[@JasonDunlop247]

Its a lovely thing. The Robin is such a tame little bird.......

[@tim61z900]

Lovely. Thank you. Petition signed.

[@shary5165]

As Pete grew up, the initial fuzz he had changed and he got his feathers. If he was ever to learn how to fly, we would have to teach him. Mama robins in the wild take their young out on a branch and push them off. Initially, the young birds have a controlled fall. After a bit of practice, Pete learned how to control his fall. (We weren't tree climbers, so we stood on opposite sides of the yard and played catch, using an underhand pitch of Pete.)

[@amberbambiexo]

This is beautiful I'm going to try it myself 😊

[@brigittel.hammond9668]

Wow ! Absolutely awesome. Thank you and Zoe so much for this video. Also, I would like to mention that you have a very calmative voice. I’ve shared this video with my husband and he agrees with me that you have the demeanor of a wonderful loving human being. Take care.

[@hughwarwick5283]

thanks Brigitte!

[@wendyrual7179]

Thanks for all your hoggy work, but also thank you for sharing this! Amazing to watch 💕

[@nurfuerverrueckte]

It's the truth. I did it the same way with a blackbird and I can call her when she's nearby. They absolutely love raisins. ✌️

[@archangel6415]

I love this! I did the same with blue tits on one of the coldest days in the winter here in Glasgow U.K. i(t’s over 30 years ago!)I stood for over an hour as still as I could with outstretched arm and the birds were fighting each other to get on my hand. Animals eventually get that confident, but these beautiful birds are just such a thrill to feed right out of your hand.

[@hughwarwick5283]

oh - blue tits - that would be amazing!

[@JAY1892]

We recently had Robins build a nest in a hanging flower pot. Watching the parents feed the chicks and tend to them was a magical experience. There were three babies which we named Tic, Tac and Toella. The little gits flew the coup last week, without a single goodbye or thank you for the food and water. 🐣😂 Ever since, I believe the mum and dad ‘trust’ me a little and one has even landed on my leg and given me a knowing look. Or it could have been giving me stink eye, who knows?🐣 👍

[@BirdBath1]

JAY1892, look at bird bath

[@r_c1048]

I just wanted to come back to this video and thank you. After I watched this a year ago and I was determined to hand feed robins in my garden. I now have one very confident robin that lands on my hand every time I see him. He even somtimes sits by my kitchen window in the morning waiting for me. It took a lot of patience but definitely worth it in the end. My robin friend will even come down onto my garden furniture and sing at my partner until she feeds him! So thank you 😊

[@piedpiper1201]

amazing! i had a robin nest behind my kitchen and every morning it would be wating for me there through the window. i saw it starting to fly etc and eventually i noticed an adult robin following me around the garden everytime i went out. i am sure its the same one! it would start singing when i came out my front door....i started to feed it by hand and it worked straight away, they really start to trust and befriend you

[@idlersdream826]

I love Robins, they’re always around whenever I’m gardening and last year I almost got one to feed from my hand, so must try again!

[@hughwarwick5283]

I wrote about this in The Beauty in the Beast - turns out we are just wild pigs to them!

[@taxibeforesunsetclips7629]

Nice. At work there's a Robin that lives in the trees just outside the fence. When it hears the beeping from a forklift truck reversing it swoops down to pick up bugs from freshly uncovered ground where the pallet was. Clever little bugger.

[@chrisl3977]

For a few days I’ve put out food mix for robins that I bought just on the ground outside my patio door.A robin has been coming every day to take the food.Once he sees me in the kitchen he’s now flying to the door handle letting me know he’s here😊.Today I started to lay my hand on the ground next to the feed with some food in it and he took it from me very quick moves but was so amazing to see it and yes it felt wonderful.I’m going to continue to place my hand on the ground next few days and see if it will continue.I’ll try in a few days to see will he take it from my hand while standing close to him.I can see how you love this experience.Thank you for posting it.

[@JanBanJoovi-ol1qv]

This is probably how Batman gained Robin’s trust

[@bliini]

How adorable! Thank you! A robin couple lives in the garage here, I was wondering how to tame them.

[@BirdBath1]

mingmingmary, look at bird bath

[@hughwarwick5283]

did you succeed?

[@scottj1957]

Thank you

[@mehusla]

Spot on! I live in a town house with a compact patio garden. Fortunately, we also have large lawns plus mature trees around us, attracting a collection of both wood pigeons and feral pigeons. Wood pigeons are normally very wary of we humans and keep well clear of us. Decades ago, I started gently tossing peanuts outside my garden to attract wood pigeons. I began at about 20 m distance and over time reduced this until several became brave enough to enter my confined, walled garden. They would come very close to me but would not come to hand, so I began lying down, stretching my hand out on the ground, through our French doors. Eventually a couple of braver birds began to warily come up to me and snatch a nut. In this progressive way, they gained confidence and now flock to my hands. They are happy for me to stroke them and even allow me to pluck out errant feathers during moulting - which can require a hard tug! A final word of advice, to protect my arms from their sharp claws, necessary for clinging to branches, I learned to wear gauntlets, simply fashioned from Tubi-grip bandages. I might soon also have to wear a cap! The same approach works with squirrels! One thing they have in common, is that the first time the creatures come to hand, they find it hard to distinguish between peanuts and finger tips! But they soon learn :) . A pigeon trying to swallow your finger tip is one thing, a squirrel taking hold of your finger in both of his hands while sampling your finger tip is a tad more scary. But they are remarkably gentle and quickly figure out the difference.

[@fluffydean811]

Hello Hugh, I am here after listening to you on Radio 2 this afternoon, Loved watching the Robins in your video, Can't wait to give this a go. Hedgehogs are my favourite x

[@BirdBath1]

Fluffy Dean, look at bird bath

[@hughwarwick5283]

did you succeed?

[@aLiShikari]

Your voice is so soothing.

[@hedgehoghugh]

thank you! and if you could persuade my publishers to let me do my books as audio books ... always good to have an ally!

[@aLiShikari]

@@hedgehoghugh Send me their details and I accept the challenge. Haha!

[@cliffordnireland6124]

Thanks for your advice, will give it a go 😊

[@johnotooledoggames2336]

Hello from Dublin Ireland 🇮🇪 great video sharing that so cool

[@lorraineosborne3727]

I have hedgehogs and robins in my garden and other birds and wildlife. I enjoy feeding them and looking out of my window at them all

[@susanmaycock9327]

How beautiful

[@wakeupuk3860]

Will certainly try this, ove the last two weeks, first a singel Robin was coming and looking for worms as I dug up part of my lawns to return it and weed the borders. Now it comes up really close to me and it if I wait between digs it will look for worms as I trun the soli over. Today it gto to a point as if we wer working as a team. To my delight another one turned up maybe it's mate or I have been seeing two and thought was one. I actually talk to it, standing very still and tried to get it to eat some kitchen seeds but it did not do so. Certainly after reading about them this eveing going to but some worms and some fruit and leave it out for them. I have a corner at the back of my house with a gardeen table and I certainly will carry out your tips to see if it will come to feed from me. Will be absolutely delighted if I can get both of them to feed from my hand ie a wild bird.

[@gordon.5556]

Great video. I'll try that with my friendly Robin.

[@SeoRockyRobin]

Outstanding video 💯

[@oceanwanderer8065]

I once had small songbirds in my garden then the Magpies,Jackdaws, Wood pigeons Squirrels and Crows moved in and overtook the feeders--result--no more small birds, a crow ravaged apple tree and plants ripped out of their pots by squirrels. Just another part of urban hell. I don't waste my money on seeds anymore they're gone before you can blink.

[@shuggiemcg1]

Very cool I did it with a Pied Wagtail 4 years ago, I use to fish a little pond near me and one would come within a few feet of me for the maggots I dropped while fishing, I started dropping the maggots close and closer to me and within 2 hrs it fed out of my hand!

[@BirdBath1]

Shug McGurran, look at bird bath

[@hughwarwick5283]

I have never heard of a pied wagtail coming to hand ... wow!

[@shuggiemcg1]

@@hughwarwick5283 I was amazed myself

[@popalops4036]

Thank you for advice

[@PhillipYewTree]

"I specialise in hedgehogs" !!!!!!

[@hughwarwick5283]

a very niche niche!

[@mikeus69]

I’ve got a stellars jay that flys onto my head and squaks until i grab some peanuts out of my pocket and he’ll come onto my hand and take his time picking out his favourite peanut Its pretty amazing Gonna try with the robins now also Thank you 😊

[@brightspark4817]

robins nest in my garage every year //had one nesting in a funnel on my bench one year then up on a shelf and in a cupboard blackbirds nest in my cable scrap pile and even had one nest on top of the pump in my mobile diesel compressor

[@hughwarwick5283]

you could win prizes with good photos of those!

[@ciaranburke3243]

Cheers ,must try that beautiful little bird I have a Robin in my front and back garden 😀

[@hughwarwick5283]

good luck! post a video!

[@Lenin426599]

amazing

[@ringerheringa3052]

Amazing. So wonderful!

[@chachatruth3534]

A tame bird has more change of being hurt by strangers! Let birds be wild!

[@musicloverlondon6070]

Lovely video! I always associated cheese with mice but never robins! Learned something; thank you for uploading.

[@gobstoppa1633]

WHEN THEY ARE FEEDING THE YOUNG THEY WILL RISK ALL MUCH QUICKER THAN ORTHER TIMES, I HAD ONE COMING THRU 2 ROOMS OF MY HOUSE TO LAND ON MY HAND FOR FOOD, BUT ONCE THE URGE FOR FOOD HAS GONE THEN YOU ARE OF NO FURTHER USE UNTIL NEXT YEAR.

[@sammylpt9076]

Nice video :) I’ve stumbled on this video because I have a couple of eager robins that always are out when I’m turning/adding to my compost heap. Was just wondering if they can be tamed, and yes they can :)

[@muttcrewmusic]

I love robins too, but please check with your nature and animal protection experts what food is right for the animals you're feeding. Cheddar is one of my favorites, but I don't know if it is actually good for animals.

[@titanfx9156]

Mate when I was in the uk. I had one I would feed all the time. Lots of pictures. He would come to our door every morning and land on the stable door and call for us to feed him. It was awesome. Is it possible to raise one in captivity?

[@tallulahbelle...]

...I don't have a garden but I've shared with my son and daughter who do.....fingers crossed 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿🇩🇪

[@hughwarwick5283]

there are reserves around the place where there are fairly tame robins ... but hope your son and daughter win one over!

[@abdullahhussain9589]

I have a question. Do you wash your hands so much after touching the birds? I read a lot of articles online saying it’s very unsafe to touch birds and that we may risk catching diseases from them. What’s your opinion?

[@SimonJones265]

Definitely trying this! We had a family of squirrels that eventually sat on our laps taking and eating nuts out of our hands.

[@hughwarwick5283]

which squirrels ? red or grey?

[@SimonJones265]

@@hughwarwick5283 Grey squirrels. I live in the Midlands and haven't seen a red squirrel around here.

[@carefulpilgrim]

thank you!

[@Poetry4Peace]

Yees cant wait to try cheese is good way to go, i see robins come close to me as i been venturing in my local forest and giving food,played hide n seek with one and they been close to me generally when i walk there xD

[@BirdBath1]

Look at bird bath 🐬🦚

[@michaeledwards5168]

I had this robin in me garden couple years back , and it used to sit on my clothes line , looking through my patio window at me , tweeting and bobbing , when it did this , it was telling me a cat was around , and I would then shoo and chase the cat away .

[@BirdBath1]

Michael Edwards, look at bird bath

[@hughwarwick5283]

yes - there is a distinctive alarm call from many birds that send me to the garden with a water pistol!

[@ultramation4223]

I just found a 2 baby robins their in the Bush I'm looking at them if their good

[@jimmykasper8420]

Thanks

[@beerbandit291]

I got arrested for wagging a robin in the local park.

[@WanderFeetChronicles]

Amazing. I’d first like to know how to attract Robins in to my garden. Thank you. Urban setting. Council estate. Is it possible?

[@hughwarwick5283]

if there are robins around - then yes! Give it a go!

[@WanderFeetChronicles]

@@hughwarwick5283 Is there any particular food that they’re fond of Hugh? Thanks for replying.

[@hughwarwick5283]

@@WanderFeetChronicles I have used both chess (grain of rice sized pieces) and meal worms ... good luck!

[@zotzotty]

Wax Worms all the way. once he knows they are available he will give up all caution for his fix. once he has a partner and eggs. he will be back and forth at regular times.. he will return each year for around 3 years,, we even watched ours feeding his fledglings!!.. @

[@TokyoNightGirl-fk4cn]

Wow💚💗💚💗💗💗💗

[@ivanscott4909]

A few years ago I had a robin taking food from my hand daily - until one day as it flew back towards cover a sparrow hawk appeared from the cover and took it out of the air. Clearly it had lain in wait, as it had seen me doing this every day.

[@frankhornby6873]

Clever sparrow hawk...unlucky Robin...

[@hughwarwick5283]

wow - yes, very effective hunters ... one year I shouted at the starlings pecking holes in my prize apples - and as they took off, a sparrow hawk struck one down to the path in front of me ...

[@Loulou-gw8km]

Thanks so fascinating. Yesterday I bought some live mealworms, is that what you use?

[@hughwarwick5283]

ah - I use the dried ones from the garden centre - much easier to manage in the hand!!!! Good luck - and let me know if you succeed !!

[@Loulou-gw8km]

@@hughwarwick5283 thank you. I will!!

[@samsamsamsamsamanilla5281]

We had a nest of robins outside of our window where we could watch them from eggs to fledgling, and when they left the nest they stayed around our house and would always come very close to us. Now it's next summer and we have another group of three(same ones from the nest?) that come right up to us with zero fear! Could they have imprinted on us?

[@BirdBath1]

Samsamsamsam, look at bird bath

[@hughwarwick5283]

unlikely that they are imprinted - but just trusting!

[@Mossyz.]

I am also trying to bond with these little fellas on my channel.🥰😍🤩

[@BirdBath1]

Mossyz Channel, look at bird bath

[@sjwarialaw8155]

Wonder if blackbirds will do this, I have a lot coming to my backyard, they are quite fearless since there's also a cat roaming around there

[@hughwarwick5283]

I have seen people do this with blackbirds, but they are more flighty!

[@nealhodgeman1449]

I’m trying to use a fishing net

[@normasouthwood3182]

I was going to ask if you are the hedgehog man! (I have your book.)

[@hughwarwick5283]

Ha! Yes - hedgehogs are my main work!

[@daniel.d2150]

Do you use dry or live meal worms as could not see in your hand?

[@r_c1048]

I use dry I have managed to train my garden robin to feed from my hand. Takes a lot of patience and routine is key. Then once they have that first "safe" feed from your hand the flood gates will open.

[@jonmatthews4254]

I thought it was illegal to tame wild animals, is that not the case? Won't it make them likely to approach humans that might not have the best intentions?

[@alanwann9318]

Jon I share your views, it is human arrogance to think wild creature, s should be tamed. They have a right to a free life

[@hughwarwick5283]

Strange to think it might be illegal to feed a bird from the hand!! Where did you get that idea from? There is no harm - the robin is free to leave - and when it has had a fill it moves on. And it is on my hand for a fraction of a second.

[@newyork2804]

@@alanwann9318 Just because a robin trusts one human (this takes a while) doesn’t mean it will trust another human

[@mismisimoakbar]

Cute

[@BirdBath1]

Pootis Gaming, look at bird bath

[@bearvillebear1468]

Keep strong. Dont forget that despite the evil in this world, God is full of justice, mercy and love. Justice said we broke His perfect law - causing the world's previous perfection to be destroyed - and therefore we deserve Hell (like a punishment in any legal system but this is eternal as His perfect law is eternal too). Don't think you fit in that category? Ever done one of these?: lying, stealing - regardless of how small the object EVER, hating others - which is murder in God's perfect law, lusting (plus God sees our entire thought life). Justice says "the soul that sins shall die" - if we break one in thought/word/deed it's as if we're guilty of all of them. Quite simply, living by the law (which is doing everything perfectly) is impossible for sinful humans . The law shows us that 1. We will die in Hell if we fail to follow it and 2. We cannot save ourselves BUT, 3. God's perfect, immovable law points us to Christ, who followed and fulfilled the law in thought, word and deed perfectly in our place. He did what we couldn't and did it on our behalf. He was then sentenced to death on a cross, and took our personal punishment for our sin, paying our penalty (like paying our fine) completely FOR us, and has given us freedom. If we turn from the sins we have committed and repent (pursue the opposite direction of love through Christ) He will, overtime, recreate us back into that previously perfect image through The Holy Spirit which Jesus sends to all who accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior of their life. It's not about following the law - perfectly, as it's impossible - it's about letting Christ in to guide and teach you and obeying Him through His power (not ourselves as it's impossible without depending on His power and instruction). He is our substitute in His life, death and resurrection. He essentially rewrote history in our place so that, if you believe in Him, it will be as if you had never sinned if you accept Christ's death as our own in our place. He is in Heaven right now preparing a place for us so that He can take His faithful, believing children home with Him when He returns. He will ressurrect us from death when He returns, giving mercy to those who accept His love, instruction and teachings in their life, and give justice to those who refuse it. He doesn't want ANY of us to go to Hell and die for continuing in evil and rejecting His way to life, thats why He died FOR us. Hes giving EVERYONE a chance, He wants everyone to take the free gift of salvation from Hell. He wants us to be His and begin to follow His life of love and service through His power and abiding (staying) with Him. So long as we keep our hearts near to Christ through His strength, strive to follow His will of perfect love revealed in the Bible, and let Him lead in the midst of (very certain) pitfalls and struggles, we will, in time, win the ultimate victory over sin, pain and DEATH through Christ. Even if you are willing to be made willing, pray for Jesus to come in and He will do what we can't. Give us The Holy Spirit who will guide us in the right way. NOTE: You are NEVER too sinful or messed up that God cannot turn your life around through Jesus. EVER. Regardless of what you've done or what you're going through you CAN make it through Jesus. If you have any questions let me know

[@BirdBath1]

BearvilleBear, look at bird bath

[@jamesbaker7112]

I just beat them until they comply.

[@iflarnted]

No taming going on here, just some birds snatching food out of your hand. Now if they landed on your hand.....

[@Brock-Lesnar-WWE]

😂😂😂

[@valtergarlini9436]

👍

[@BirdBath1]

Valter Garlini, look at bird bath

[@MayaviPabcd]

My robin just pop out of nowhere

[@BirdBath1]

maya phakdeeyut, look at bird bath

[@chrisbailey4759]

"Lockdown", is a term used by prison staff, and is used as a last resort punishment for groups of convicted criminals that are rioting within a prison, criminals that have been convicted of serious crimes, like murder, rape ect. We all should never forget what "Lockdown" means.

[@brocklehurstgill799]

Does it take a while to build their trust?

[@hughwarwick5283]

depends a bit on the robin ... this bird was quite quick ... a youngster so maybe that was why. They one I was tamed by this year took a few weeks (though that was just a case of grabbing moments when I could - not a concerted plan)

[@alanwann9318]

Why do you think you should tame a wild creature? They can survive without you .

[@hughwarwick5283]

There is no harm - the robin is free to leave - and when it has had a fill it moves on.

[@missmuffet3874]

Alan Wann I agree. Feed from a distance to help but never try to tame.

[@anthonyhulse1248]

Why? Let wildlife be wild.

[@hughwarwick5283]

Do you not feed birds at all? This bird is free and wild - it has just trained me to supply it with extra food!

[@moonstar21868]

I tried it but the bastardly robin would not take the bait, now when I see a robin I get extremely angered and want all robins to thuk off out my garden!

[@visualsnow6233]

Thank you