Rodent politics

It's not just my neighbour who's keen to keep the rats at bay. The squirrels have their views on the issue. This video is long... even though I sped up the rat/squirrel interactions. I love this because the rat, as Clare put it, is so polite about the whole thing. The squirrel is rather snarky.

I showed the squirrel and rat to Leanne who asked if that was the wildlife camera or the iPhone, when I said the latter, she commented that I was so lucky they all come out while I am there.

This is true. Just today, I was watching the squirrels, rats, a variety of birds... they were all visible, if wary. I have to keep still. Then, though they are still aware that I am there, they are not worried. I guess it is astonishing... sort of.

Bobbit will take something from my hand nearly every time I go out. One suet pellet, two and then he flies off as though shocked by his daring.

I see how the blackbirds like to hide in the dense places. How the dunnocks scurry around in the scrub in seemingly fission-fusion groups. The pairs of tits. The flocking starlings.

I dreamed of a jay, close to me, on the fence, as confident as Bobbit.

But. Back to the rats.

The earthworks continue. I guess the poisoning does too.

Rats, like crows and coyotes, raccoons and sparrows, have learned how to make the most of us. I admire them. As well seep across all the world's ecosystems, they follow and creep closer than we wish and more numerous. They are so like us.