[meenermax]

Hello! My parents have a robin who has decided to over winter in their yard. He sleeps in the cedars and "roosts" in their rowan tree. My mom is concerned that once it gets colder, he may not be able to properly feed and water himself. She would love some suggestions as to what to feed him and how. There are cats in the neighbourhood, so she is hesitant to ground feed him.
Should she put a "table" in the rowan tree and put fruit and berries on it? Along with a dish of fresh water? Would he appreciate meal worms at this time of year?
Any help is appreciated.
Thank you!

[esle9]

Don't worry, the robin will be okay. Some robins migrate in the fall, but many stay all year in Kamloops, like your robin. Robins don't usually come to feeders, and he should be fine on his own. They eat fruit left on bushes and trees in the Winter, plus worms. If you want to feed him, you could try mealworms on a platform, but it's expensive. If there are cats you're right, you shouldn't ground feed him.

He should probably be able to find water on his own (but I'm not sure how the weather is in Kamloops). Birds can fly to a water source, and they don't need very much water per day. If you do put out a dish of water, make sure it is out of reach of cats, and it should be shallow (3 inches maximum). Bird bath water must be changed every day though, so it is a bit of a commitment. If you want to make a bird bath, you can get instructions here: http://lancaster.unl.edu/pest/resources ... irds.shtml
Hope this helped!