Rip It Up

We have a box in the garden in which we put food each night for the local hedgehogs. The opening is just big enough for them to get in and should prevent the food being nicked by any passing cats or large birds.
To make it easier to clean, the box is lined with an old magazine but, recently, we have been waking up to see shredded paper all over the garden.
Hoping to catch the culprit in the act, we positioned the trail camera with a good view of the opening and sat back to await results. When we woke up this morning there was once again paper strewn around. Reviewing the footage from the camera, we could see that the hedgehogs had visited several times in the night, along with a rather disgruntled cat that couldn’t fit through the small opening. Just as dawn was breaking, a blackbird hopped inside and pinched a bit of food, then a jackdaw had a quick look but took no action. An hour later, we were finally rewarded as we saw clear footage of this magpie trying to pull the paper out of the box. He didn’t seem at all inclined to go into the box, so we wonder if he was trying to drag the food bowl closer to the opening, by tugging on the paper it was sat on. If so, that would certainly indicate a fair degree of intelligence.
A friend has suggested placing a brick in front of the opening as a sort of baffle. If it’s at the right distance away, the hedgehogs can get round it but it makes it harder for the birds. We shall give it a try and see what happens.
Really, it’s surprising we get any sleep at all, considering how much nocturnal activity is going on outside the bedroom window!