I have a female robin (she has an orange chest so assumed she is female)who I saved from the clutches of one of our cats,I don't think she has a partner as I found a male unfortunately torn apart a few months ago when we had the Sparrow hawk around anyway she follows me everywhere and I'v taken to feeding some of the birds at the top of the garden on a wall and she is always there filling her boots before the others get there yesterday she came and fed from my hand then jumped up on my shoulder looked me direct in the eyes and then flew to the ground and tumbled around as they do when they are cleaning themselves.
she done this for several seconds (about 20) and then flew of squawking why did she do this ?
does anyone have any ideas?

Interesting ive not heard of them doing this. Perhaps its trying to mask your scent? lots of mammalian predators associate human scent with food. It may be a male, there is quite a bit of variation in brest colour, the british population melophilus is quite dark brested compared to european birds rubecula. We get large influxes of european birds in winter.

thanks for that Phyllosc
I'm pretty sure she is female I don't know why though,she really is very daring she even comes into the conservatory after the stray has eaten there and picks up the bits he has dropped on the floor.

looks like she/he has found a partner as there were two of them this morning,is this their time to be finding partners?

May I quote from the RSPB - "Males and females look identical"

Probably still a little early yet, although not impossible. Native males and females hold seperate territories in the winter. Most courtship begins into feburary/march with the first clutches of eggs laid in March. What you could a be seeing are european birds which tend not to hold strong territories through the winter and are more social as they are not maintaining a territory. Or they could be an early pair.

now we have moved to Eastbourne I miss her dreadfully but she was doing really well when we left and am now hoping we can get some small birds into the garden as it looks like we have rather large seagulls dominating the airways.
have put up a small bird box in the hopes