South Island Bush Robin (Toutouwai)

New Zealand doesn't have the brightly coloured robins of other countries. Our only ones are grey or black.

Yesterday after I'd stopped and taken photos of the St James tarn I also stopped at Marble Hill and took photos of robins. When I decided to blip the tarn I figured it meant I wouldn't be blipping a robin until next time I went to Christchurch. But...

Today I decided to head to a local piece of bush in the hopes of photographing lichen or fungus or something. However, this wee guy begged to be my blip instead. I think he was really hungry because he insisted on coming really close - this shot is not cropped at all.

I've never really know robins to take food scraps but thought I'd try in case that was his problem. Fortunately I hadn't cleaned yesterdays sandwich crumbs out of my car and he absolutely devoured them. Each time I threw one to the ground he would whisk it away, and then be back in moments for more. This photo is taken when the crumbs ran out and he was scolding me for not being more forthcoming.