Thieving blue striped corvid bastards

[Bacon Is Proof]

So it has taken me weeks to train a local moorhen (Patrick) to take food from my hand, yet only a matter of minutes for two jays to learn how to nick it off him!
Initially they tried swooping directly in but Patrick is a fighty little bugger who would quickly see them off with a couple of choice pecks. They quickly worked out that if they landed a couple of yards away Patrick would initiate a charge leaving his food unattended, allowing the jays to use their aerial superiority to grab the tucker as Patrick is not the best of flyers.

Come to think of it, without webbed feet he's a pretty poor swimmer as well. Maybe I should train the jays instead.

[so called]

Train the Jays to feed Patrick.

[Who me ?]

I've found moorhens to be feisty little birds. I'm quite amused to see one of these little birds find me ( I suspect thy know I prefer to feed them over ducks) and they run to me to get bread, then run past the ducks like a rugby player looking for a try to take the bread back to the nest or thir little ones. I've now got a pair of new parents who look out for me and sit under a bridge waiting for bread, whilst the othr parent brings the chicks up to get fed, whlst ducks move away ,frightnd of the smaler birds,who cn be quite protective.

[Boosted LS1]

OP hang on to the food until patrick comes back.