canberrabirds

Water birds and rats

To: "'Canberra birds'" <>
Subject: Water birds and rats
From: "Philip Veerman" <>
Date: Sat, 2 Jun 2012 17:36:34 +1000
And I have written on this line before about seeing a small group of Water-rats chomping on a dead Black Duck at Commonwealth Park during the night time Floriade a few years ago.
Philip
-----Original Message-----
From: Peter Ormay [
Sent: Friday, 1 June 2012 10:58 PM
To: wallaces; Canberra birds
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Water birds and rats

Hi Steve,
According to "The Rodents of Australia"  C.H.S. Watts & H.J. Aslin 1981 "-----the water-rat is an active and vigorous predator". They take fully grown waterbirds such as Coots and have been observed killing ducks and poultry.
 
At Tidbinbilla Nature Reserve a few years ago Water-rats were responsible for killing some of the pinioned ducks and dragging them into holes in the bank in the waterbird ponds. When the person responsible for the waterbirds went to inspect a nest box in one of the ponds a Water-rat erupted out of it and left a blood bath and a dead duck behind.
Peter
 
 
--- Original Message -----
From:
To:
Sent: Thursday, May 31, 2012 9:11 PM
Subject: [canberrabirds] Water birds and rats

At Jerrabomberra Wetlands today the most interesting thing was a very active Water-rat which seemed to find the best foraging spots near the not so happy waterbirds. It was hard to tell if it was actually foraging or following/harassing/chasing the birds but it certainly kept moving close to the birds and the birds kept moving away from it.
 
Steve


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