What an ingenious Rook I watched!

I live in a sheltered housing complex and, to escape the computer, I went to the common room one recent afternoon. There was no one else about, and having made myself a cuppa, I sat beside the patio windows. With a view of the garden, I was entertained for 20 minutes by an ingenious Rook. At first he – a big, glossy, specimen with slaty beak that looked capable of digging up the concrete – was stalking around in lordly fashion under our magnolia tree. I became intrigued when, like a fast bowler preparing to attack, he backed off, turned and turned again. He did that several times, as though psyching himself up for the charge. Suddenly, he rose on his toes and took off toward the dainty bird-feeder that one of our number had filled and hung on the tree. A deliberate collision swung the feeder to and fro, scattering nuts on the lawn, where the bird then landed to eat and enjoy his afternoon tea! The game continued until a minute or two he was joined by another of his kind. She, having no inclination for work, merely ate the food he supplied. Their appetite for nuts must have waned, though, as they soon flew amiably away together. Perhaps I should’ve reminded them that the local colony is already overcrowded!