aggressive robins

Anyone have a robin or two that are aggressive towards other birds even though there are no nesting robins around? I have two males that sit on a fence like they are on patrol and chase away every bird that even comes close to one of our jelly feeders. And by chase, I’m talking these suckers will slam the other other birds. I’ve moved the jelly feeder twice now and regardless those two dinks find somewhere to sit and watch the feeder and as soon as any other bird sits down to eat, the feathered dive bomber lay into them. I’m about ready to pop these dinks. I’ve never seen this before. The Orioles and House Finches love the grape jelly along with a couple other species but this year for whatever reason these two robins seem to think this is their own private treat station.

I have seen that a few times, but at my place the bluejays are the real dinks. Hate those things.
Heard my first oriole this morning and saw a hummingbird yesterday.

I haven’t seen that with robins, except for fighting each other. I did see an oriole repeatedly smack a black squirrel in one of my maples two days ago. The only birds I ever see on my jelly are orioles and catbirds.

Robins can definitely be aggressive towards other birds or if they feel cornered.

A robin somehow got into the chicken run last night when the girls had the door open. My 4 year old came to get me to say there was “the wrong kind of bird” in the coop. The robin dive bombed me a couple of times when I tried to shoo it out, and finally I said screw it and left it.

As we were walking up the hill we heard it again, and the aggressive robin dive bombed the wrong Barred Rock Hen. It was swatted out of the air and then lost in a melee of feathers as it became the chicken’s snack.

Good timing for your post. I just saw a Robin chasing a gray squirrel around my front yard and through our cul-de-sac. It was dive bombing it the entire time. The squirrel ended up hiding under my boat parked in the driveway. I’ve never seen that before.

I once had one that would attack its reflection in our main living room window under a porch. This went on for over a week so I shot it. It was definitely deranged.

Same here Suzuki. I have a couple around my house that regularly startle us by attacking themselves in the full-length window by the front door! I wonder what’s going through his tiny bird brain. “Man this guy is tenacious! – He’s back for more!”

Is this in Minnesota? I would have thought the problem would have been with passive-aggressive robins.

Thank you and good night ladies and gentlemen. I’ll be here all week.

Once had a robin that would attack its own reflection in a window, banging into the window over and over day after day. Had to tape cardboard over the window to get it to stop.

*walks across lawn*

*John Williams’ Jaws theme plays*

*Robin dive-bombs*

*horrible death*

What’s a jelly feeder?

Its a feeder that a jar of grape jelly screws onto and slowly lets the jelly ooze out into a tray. Orioles love grape jelly.

Jimmy Jones wrote:

Its a feeder that a jar of grape jelly screws onto and slowly lets the jelly ooze out into a tray. Orioles love grape jelly.

i have the other type, the orange plastic one with the roof on it with cup trays you spoon in jelly. you can get them with 1 or 4 cups…….

robins and a few other feathered friends like it too!!!!

Do squirrels leave the jelly alone or go after it like a crack addict?

Squirrels haven’t bothered our jelly feeders.

I would’ve thought that the grape jelly would get ambushed by all kinds of things, too. But it really sits out there for days and only Oriels and maybe a finch or two eat it.

ThunderLund78 wrote:

I would’ve thought that the grape jelly would get ambushed by all kinds of things, too. But it really sits out there for days and only Oriels and maybe a finch or two eat it.

Coons will wreck feeders in a blink.

The neighbor lady was over chatting with Ma the other day and mentioned that she had a coon she was feeding. About the same time we noticed a hen mallard nesting in one of the flower beds. Ten eggs. A few mornings later we found the remnants of the ten eggs scattered thru the flowers. Then one of our bird baths was getting flipped and a jelly feeder near it was torn down and wrecked. Then a hummer feeder got pulled down. I told Ma one more thing gets ruined and that coon is going to get a special meal prepared for it.

Jimmy…i wouldnt wait!!!!!!!

Jimmy Jones wrote:

Coons will wreck feeders in a blink.

I could see that. I have mine on a pretty thin branch of a tree in my front yard. I get raccoons on my security cams all the time but never had a problem with them on my jelly!

I’d set a live trap. If it’s a coon, you can take it out to some woods where your buddies coon hunt and let it go. If you catch a opossum, dispatch it.