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Sun 19 Feb 2023, 21:15
I am interested in others viewpoints here, so please bare with me:-
I love the variety of wild birds we get here and subsequently invested in a bird feeder for my back garden (one of the black metal standing ones that you can buy and hang different feeders from). Last spring/summer, it came into it’s own. I was getting Jays, Woodpeckers and lots of sparrows & blue tits. It was delightful. Then one day I happened to see a black shadow streak across the patio and disappear into next doors’ garden. A while later I actually caught my first sighting of a rat (not a particularly big one, but a rat no less). At the time, I thought live and let live, he didnt appear to be doing too much damage (ha!). That was until one morning I opened my curtains to see that the little b**er had obviously invited the rest of his family to feast on my bird feeder! Since I am a complete wuss and could not personally trap and kill them all, the only option was to completely remove their food source. The bird feeder had to go. It worked, they have now abandoned my garden for, I assume another poor neighbours (apologies). Now, I have lived in Ticknell Piece for the best part of 30 years and never before have I seen a rat, let alone half a dozen of them! Why the sudden invasion? It was only after lying awake in bed one night that I suddenly realised that it has been a long while since I have heard foxes barking in the night. Through the autumn/winter I used to hear at least one or two. It is the same with my regular dog walks over our neighbouring fields, I would at least catch a glimpse of one in the distance, or hear one whilst out and about. Now - nothing. It seems to me that it is too much of a coincidence. The blame, I feel can only be laid at the feet of those idiots (believe you me, I would love to use a stronger word) who charge through our countryside on their steeds, with their barbaric braying hounds, it would appear they have decimated our local fox population, with the result that the local rat population is rapidly increasing.
It is interesting to note, as well, that last Saturday whilst out walking my two dogs (who are completely useless when it comes to catching rats btw) around the fields by Ditchley, I thankfully heard the hullabaloo of the hunt in enough time to put them both on the lead. They avoided us. However, this Saturday I was up walking around the same fields when yet again I was aware of a commotion coming from one of the fields, this time it would appear they were just trail hunting (of course the previous Saturday’s group of complete t**ts would insist that they too were doing the same, however, I beg to differ), since it was a smaller pack but, it would appear, that the local hunt is active again and, if you are walking dogs off the lead around those fields, be aware. So really what I need to know is what are the thoughts of others? Has anyone else’s garden been invaded by rats? Do you also feel the fox population in and around Charlbury is in decline? If we can somehow show cold, hard proof that this is the case, we might, just might be able to put a stop to the idiots who charge around our local countryside without a thought or care for others land, animals and who most certainly still kill our foxes.
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