A single Magpie continues to intimidate the Blue Tits nesting in the box on the back wall of the house. It perches on next-door's sky dish and watches all the comings and goings. The adult Blue Tits hate it watching them and every time they arrive in the garden with food, they scold it from the top of a small tree. However their urge to feed their chicks is so strong that after a few seconds they give up and fly up to the nest box. I know that the Magpie is just waiting for the day (early morning in my experience) when the chicks start fledging so that it can pick them off as they emerge. I have to admire its patience (this standoff has been going on for nearly a week), but I plan to be up early every day this week to see if I can thwart its plans.