Water birds and rats

["Philip Veerman" <>]

Hi Bob,

 

Sorry I'm a bit lost at your humour there, sadly a bit over my head. It was about 10 years ago. I don't know when the night events started. It was the sound of what we thought were cracking bones that alerted us to seeking out what was making the noise and in the semi dark it took a while to work out what was happening. It was in an out of the way dark spot, I think rather near where the egret statues are. No doubt though that it was Water-rats chomping on a dead Black Duck. No idea whether they killed the duck or found it dead but it seemed fresh.

 

Philip

 

-----Original Message-----
From: Bob Rusk [
Sent: Saturday, 2 June 2012 8:05 PM
To: Philip Veerman; 'Canberra birds'
Subject: Re: [canberrabirds] Water birds and rats

Hi Philip!

I hope this was one of the later "adult only" exhibitions at Floriade,which was probably a Kate Carnival production. What with your graphic description of "chomping" I would hate to think that any sweet little child could be witness to such a thing. 

Bob

Ps- I've gone right off  Kentucky Chicken.

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From: Philip Veerman <>
To: 'Canberra birds' <>
Sent: Saturday, 2 June 2012 5:36 PM
Subject: [canberrabirds] Water birds and rats

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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