The water rat very nearly triumphed, but eventually the thrashing coot managed to get head above water and break away. It fled, chased by rat for a few metres, leaving typical spaced water explosions (below snap). I would not have bothered
with this update but for Paul Janssens who was on the spot and provided the important frame (above). The rat did a bit of ill-tempered lunging at a spectator or two before slinking off.
From: Canberrabirds <>
On Behalf Of Geoffrey Dabb
Sent: Saturday, April 8, 2023 10:21 AM
To: Canberrabirds <>
Subject: [Canberrabirds] FW: Early morning at the swamp
It was good to come across Shorty this morning in Bittern Hide to discus the finer points of spoonbill counting. Just before that, the main excitement came when a water rat seized an adult coot by the breast, this being particularly exciting
for the other coots and moorhens. Quite a tussle followed, but whether you would regard the outcome as a happy one would depend on whether you took the side of bird or mammal.
