IT ALL started with a robin and a broken phone.
Tony Putman was doing his gardening job in 2014 when he spotted the red-breasted bird perched on a fence.
“I’d had an old phone for eight years and it finally fell apart so I got a new one,” the 38-year-old said.
“A robin landed in the garden and I posted some pictures on Facebook of it.
“Someone said they were quite easy to train.
“So I got a bag of dead mealworms and starting chucking them.”
Six years and eight well-trained robins later, the Crowborough resident has warmed hearts with his fantastically-named Facebook page Putman and Robin.
Tony’s latest bird companion is Bob, the only robin to return to him after flying away in spring.
“Bob disappeared for a month or two but for some reason he came back,” the photographer said.
“Usually you know it’s the same robin because they mark their territory in winter and keep coming back.
“But the robins never usually return after spring.
“So it’s really unusual. I wasn’t sure if it was him at first.”
Bob has proved a capable model, posing on branches, fences and benches with Tony’s say-so.
The photographer often films him preening and cleaning himself before a photoshoot.
But the part-time gardener had no interest in photography before the his first robin companion came along.
Now Tony has a part-time business and hopes to go full-time as a wildlife photographer.
“I started learning how to use a camera simply because of the first robin,” he said.
“The robin thing started by accident.
“I didn’t have a reason or a mission.
“I was just obsessed with getting a perfect shot of the robin.
“My mum gave me her DSLR and I started learning how to use that.
“I wanted to get the perfect action shot.
“It just progressed and I started learning how to use it properly to get action shots and not use automatic mode.
“I bought a professional camera and six years on I’m still doing it.”
So what is the key to training a robin?
“It just starts by chucking them mealworms,” Tony said.
But they do require some maintenance.
“One year I had three robins trained at the same time,” said Tony.
“They’re quite territorial and they fight so I had to keep an eye on them.
“I was thinking one of them must return but none did.
“I don’t know how long they live either.
“Some say 18 months and some say 19 years.”
And it is not just Tony who has benefited from his remarkable robin-whispering skills.
During coronavirus lockdown the photographer posted regular updates of Bob the robin to his Facebook page, bringing a a smile to those stuck inside.
“It’s just a part of me now to add to it,” Tony said.
“During lockdown people were stuck at home so it was quite nice for people to have a bit of the outside with them.
“People are obsessed with their own lives but there’s this whole other world going on.
“It makes you feel quite insignificant.”
Though his Facebook page is a regularly updated, Tony hopes to go even further towards his goal of becoming a full-time wildlife photographer.
“It would nice to make prints and cards of the birds,” he said.
“I’d love to do photography full time.
“But I only want to do the type I want to do.
“I enjoy wildlife photography and macro-photography.
“I wouldn’t mind doing a story book either. There are no famous robins about.
“But the ultimate goal would be to have my own bit of land and do photography there.”
To see Tony and Bob’s adventures search Putman and Robin on Facebook or visit facebook.com/putmanandrobin.
Tony’s photography website can be found at tonyputmanphotography.co.uk.
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