Never ending tales/tails

Yesterday, I found my seed box in the bin with top all bitten and the bag inside showing tear marks. Someone had clearly tried to open it. Unable to lift the lid he or she had broken the top and tried to pull the plastic bag through. All this tugging led to the box sliding from the shed roof into the bin below with the seeds tipping out.

I tidied up and decided upon a suspect.

This morning I saw the person in question balanced on the bird feeder. And realised he or she was not alone. One colleague appeared on the steps, checked out that I was safely in the kitchen, and returned to clear up the seeds I'd not managed to sweep up from around the bin. A third stood guard on the fence. I entered the conservatory.

Suspect number one looked up but continued on the bird feeder. Number three disappeared. Number two scurried up the fence and sat there waving his or her tail. I say waving, but it was more like twitching multiplied or low level lashing.

I stepped forward. Number one shot up the tree and number three dashed down the fence.

The bird feeder was nearly empty. I refilled it and wondered how long before they returned.

Inside I checked out tail lashing. It is a communicative warning to other thieves in the vicinity but, judging by the twitchiness of the display, is also a sign of frustration akin to stomping one's foot in a temper. The little villains were as much annoyed as afraid. Certainly number two, at any rate.

I stood up and returned to the window. Yes. A robber on the bird feeder. But it could have been any of them.