Magpies, and the Piglet of God

This sudden snowy weather, arriving so late in the season seems to have excited the bird population and they are gathering around the bird feeders more than usual.  Jays are usually solitary birds but there is a small flock of three jays all arriving together. Once here they can't quite decide if they are cooperating or competing. One eats from the fat balls, messily, while the other two hop around on the ground under the fat balls grabbing the bits that fall. Then suddenly the two on the ground start fighting, or one of them tries to take over from the fat ball eater.
Magpies are rarely seen here. They are far more nervous than most birds around the feeders, which is strange considering how confident they are generally. They prefer ground feeding and look at the feeders in a rather puzzled way. However, this one seems to have learned a trick or two from the jays, and swung around the perching twig until it could reach the fat balls. The other magpies all hopped around on the ground, grabbing any bits that dropped, probably very happy they had a genius magpie in the family.
I had to photograph them from inside the kitchen, a bit back from the window,  because as soon as they see movement in the window they are off! Hence the very blurred red decoration.
Inspired by a poem in greengirl's blip yesterday, I went hunting for the poet, Sheenagh Pugh's, website and found a lovely article on the challenges of translation. She opens with the tricky question of what's the German for clothes peg, but I laughed more at the Piglet of God biblical translation (which in the circumstances was a perfectly correct translation). If you are a language enthusiast (nerd?) take a look.
This illustrates one of the problems of Blipfoto. You go in for a quick look and to comment on some pictures and then you are sidetracked by a picture or journal and end up reading something else entirely for an hour or so. But I'm not really complaining and it's not really a problem - just a comment on what an interesting lot you all are on Blip!