Robins normally root around the ground looking for food. In the forests in Europe they are known to follow Wild Boar around. As the Boar dig up the forest floor in search of roots and bulbs for food, the Robin flies in quickly and grabs grubs, worms and other goodies from the disturbed earth.
It is this way of life which is thought to be behind their habit of following gardeners around as they pull weeds up, or dig holes for plants and seeds, and again some Robins become really tame as they dart down to find what the gardener has uncovered.
This Robin in my garden appears to have bypassed the gardener, (me), and is using the garden fork to dig his own worms up !
@gamelee Thank you Lee, this is one of several props around the garden . The trick is to put them in place and leave them for a while, and let the birds get used to them, try placing a small amount of food on the floor a couple of feet in front of them regularly. Dried mealworms, crushed peanuts, or Atora suet all work well. Once they become used to there being food there, they will use the perches hopefully. Then one day take camera out, put down some food and snap away. They are unpredictable though, I have had them use new perches within minutes of it going up, others they appear to avoid for months. Robins will come and look if you do a little bit of gardening, just disturb the soil, rake the leaves up or dig the soil. Good luck.
