Hi Tweeters,

Here is a little story for you that is a little unusual. At least, I
haven't heard of it before. Thinking about it though, I suspect it may not
be that unusual after all, especially in urban areas such as ours where rats
are becoming all too common. I expect that rats may be a pretty high
ranking predator of birds nests, eggs and young birds.

We have had a bird house outside our kitchen window where we can see it for
several years. It is placed up pretty high on the trunk of a Birch tree
that is about 10 or 12 feet from the window. The house is a rustic design,
covered with bark and it has a hole sized for Nuthatches, although
Chickadees have used it too. There have been several nests in it in past
years and we have enjoyed watching the birds up close very much. This year
we have been disappointed because no birds have taken up residence there. A
few times I saw a Chickadee check it out, seeming to be interested but no
takers.

Then, this morning, when I was at the kitchen sink, I saw something move
there. Pretty soon I saw a pink nose sticking out of the hole. It looked
like a rat to me but I couldn't be sure. Phyllis and I watched for quite a
while but the interloper would not reveal itself. What to do? I got a long
stick and banged on the box several times......nothing happened.

Finally, I went and got the ladder, climbed up and plugged the hole with a
stick of wood and took the nest down with the critter inside. I put the
whole thing in the bottom of a garbage can and turned the hose on. Whatever
was in there was going to be drowned. Sure enough, what I took out was one
drowned rat!

The house is back up on the tree trunk now, awaiting a new tenant.
Anything that has a pink nose and looks like a Rat need not apply!

Ed Lamb, Bellevue, WA