A Rook flew by me this morning, with something in its mouth. It was being harassed by two Herring Gulls, accompanied by two smaller Jackdaws who thought they might get something out of the fight.

Gulls are persistent in their search for an easy meal, and the Rook soon dropped the offering. I watched Alpha Gull pounce and then stand, arrogant and victorious, with the morsel, whatever it was, proudly mounted between its mandibles. Meanwhile Rook seemed to be sulking a short distance away on the railing.

But there was a twist. As the Gull got busy with its meal, with the two Jackdaws standing by waiting for any crumbs to fall from the table, the Rook flew over to the grass nearer to me.

And, while her mugger was busy, she started to eat as well. It turned out, Rook hadn’t offloaded the whole of her cache. She’d stashed something away…something that looked about the size of the Herring Gull’s meal, all for herself. Clever bird.

Bigger and brasher has its own advantages in Bird World. But, even in Bird World, having a brain and adapting to the circumstances, means that creative effort used, in this case to find a meal, doesn’t need to go to waste.