As regular CFZ-watchers will know, for some time Corinna has been doing a column for Animals & Men and a regular segment on On The Track... particularly about out-of-place birds and rare vagrants. There seem to be more and more bird stories from all over the world hitting the news these days so, to make room for them all - and to give them all equal and worthy coverage - she has set up this new blog to cover all things feathery and Fortean.

Saturday 22 November 2014

Rodents put bird sanctuary on high alert

Nine rats have been caught inside Bushy Park's predator fence.

The park has made a huge effort to keep its populations of native birds safe but in the last few days rats have been trapped in the 100 hectare park, which is mainly native bush.

Volunteers spent Friday morning trying to find any breach in the fence that was built around the park in 2008 to keep rats and other predators out. They were unsuccessful but more traps will be set around the area.

"It's action stations," said Bushy Park Trust chairperson Liz Tennent. "We still don't know how the rats got into the sanctuary and there is no clear breach of the fence.

"Maybe branches near the fence allowed the rats to climb over. It is known that rats can live in a tree canopy."

More money and volunteers are urgently needed to combat the problem.

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