Maybe this is more common than I thought, but while photographing some American Robins at a small watering hole this guy caught my attention as within 5 minutes he caught three small fish to eat!! He did this by standing close to the edge and waiting, heron-like, until one was close enough to pluck out of the water with its bill!! There were many robins coming down, but only to drink...and this guy repeatedly chased them away. He was also not afraid of me at all, while the others were wary of my presence and/or movements. Quite a different individual behaviour-wise. Check out the small fish it just caught...it then picked it up and bashed it on the ground, seemingly to knock it out or tenderize it, just like a kingfisher does on tree branch...
I have a hard time finding information on this behaviour about robins and no photos, I've only found a couple of fleeting references...anybody else seen this?
OK Daniel, that I have never heard of before. I guess it says something about how adaptable robins are and therefore how successful that are as a species.
I will have a look at the Birds of North America write-up to see if this has been reported before. If not, the observation is worth a short note in a bird journal.
Thanks John. BTW another odd detail I didn't mention is that the leaves scattered on the ice were also pulled out of the water by this guy while doing its hunting, but done in a calculated manner as if to open up some areas close to the surface. Very cool to watch and I am still hitting myself in the head for not thinking of the video capabilities of my 7D!!!
Neat find Daniel. Not a fish but I did get this one working the water's edge (in water). It was also flipping leaves and sticks. Caught some kind of wormy thing. Like your's, this one was also relatively tame and went about its business while I was kneeling quite close.
American Robin heron wannabe...
, just like a kingfisher does on tree branch...
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