Saturday 22 June 2013

Curiosity (nearly) killed the cat



After a very unpromising start, the latter part of yesterday ended up very warm and sunny, so after tea I took myself off for a bike ride.  I went round to where I had seen all those tadpoles, to see how they were getting on.  

But there were a few people fishing down there so I didn't bother stopping.

I passed an oil seed rape field that had a lovely edging of poppies, plus a purple splash of common mallow
  
  

Here are some more videos from my wildlife camera.  A rat gnawed a hole through the side of the hen shed in winter, which I filled up, so it gnawed another.  I filled that up and it gnawed another so I didn't fill that one up because I reckoned there'd be no shed left at that rate!
We set two traps outside the shed, one is a cage which catches it alive (goodness knows what we would have done with it then), and another like a giant mouse trap.  The mouse trap one is very scary - my husband breaks into a sweat just setting it, so we put an upside down hanging basket over the top and fastened it down so that Spaghetti couldn't get to it.  Or so we thought... 

 Yes she's actually put her paw on the trap, I was so shocked when I saw it!
After that I put a lot more barriers round it.

She also had a go at the cage trap



and if you would like to see the rat





9 comments:

  1. Ooh... that rat had beady eyes! Spaghetti was lucky not to get caught in anything, shame the rat didn't either, love your mini films :) xx

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  2. Silly Spaghetti! You'll have to have a serious word with her ;o)
    Hope you've managed to catch the rat invader though - dead or alive.
    Rose H
    x

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  3. Oh yes I should have said. It took about a month but we did catch it in the end.

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  4. Cats just have to know what is going on don't they! Glad you caught the rat in the end. We had one that chewed through our hard plastic compost tumbler. Grrrr.
    Anne xx

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  5. My iPad wont let me watch the videos but I can see that fantastic countryside! :) x

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  6. Oh Spaghetti - lucky escape there! I love the photograph of the red, blue and yellow field - like a painting x Jane

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  7. Spaghetti now has 8 lives left. I was holding my breath when I saw her going into that trap. You must have been horrified when you saw the video in the morning. Thank Goodness she didn't hurt herself. Your wild life camera is so fascinating - what a lovely present.

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  8. Phew, poor Spaghetti! Love the beady eyed rat! x

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  9. Oh MY!! I would not have thought the cat would mess with that trap set-up!! GOod thing you saw the video before she hurt herself. Really, I thought that basket would have been enough to keep her at bay!

    The poppies are gorgeous!

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