My back garden activity was most entertaining this afternoon. Mealworms had been put out for the Sparrows, who responded with alacrity, but they were not the only birds to benefit: first, a large Magpie scooped up half a dozen worms and made off with them, to the chagrin of the scattered Sparrows, who clearly were not amused; next, a Blackbird was the intending interloper, fluttering down to pick up a worm in its beak, but a plucky Sparrow darted in and stole the worm 'from right under its nose'; disconcerted, but not dismayed, the Blackbird persisted in stealing another worm, only to suffer a similar foray from another Sparrow, but the Blackbird would not be denied a second time and pursued the wee 'Spadger' all round the garden in a merry zig-zag 'catch-me-if-you-can' chase; then a speckled Thrush had a go, but the Blackbird 'had his dander up' by now and soon repelled the newcomer; a big arrogant Crow landed briefly to survey the scene, as the Blackbird scurried for cover, but moments later this larger 'black bird' noisily took off and left the field to an incoming new Blackbird, as the old Blackbird reappeared to defend its patch; a typical rising/falling fluttering/flapping fight ensued, with the original Blackbird winning the joust; meantime, the Sparrows hadn't been idle, had taken advantage of the Blackbirds' preoccupation, and had scoffed the remaining mealworms! When the Magpie returned for another top-up, it found the cupboard bare (almost). A quick hop round the garden revealed a sole surviving fatball, which was plucked from its tree and carried off by its plastic mesh, despite the inherent aerodynamic instability of this arrangement...