Thurles Information

When food scraps were left out for some of our local feathered friends recently, some unexpected guests arrived.

Let’s meet Mrs Rowena Rat and her eldest daughter Rita, courtesy of regular subscriber to Thurles.Info, Mr Michael Bannon, (Thanks Michael.) who forwarded this rare close-up video clip to us for editing and sharing.

The Brown Rat or Common Rat, (Rattus Norvegicus) is one of the best known of rats found in Ireland. This brown rodent lives wherever humans live, in both rural and urban areas and in the absence of humans, prefer damp environments such as river banks. The animal came to Europe possibly from central Asia and most likely China.

One of the largest of the super family of rodents, which includes hamsters and gerbils, the common rat displays a brown or grey fur coat, while the underparts are lighter grey or brown. The rodent has a body length of up to 25 cm (10 ins) long, with a similar tail length. The species is a true omnivore and will consume almost anything, but cereals form a substantial part of its diet.

The brown rat can breed right through the year, with females producing up to five litters each year. The gestation period for a female rat is just 21 days and litters can number between six and fourteen in total. Rats do groom each other and usually sleep together in burrows. It’s life span can be up to three years, but most of them rarely survive past one year of age, due to human, other animal predators and inter-species conflict. Their yearly mortality rate is estimated as high as 95%.

Brown rats have very acute hearing, and are sensitive to ultrasound. Adult rats can emit ultrasonic vocalizations in response to predators or other perceived danger, which is unheard by the human ear. However they can also produce communicative noises capable of being heard by humans. Usually they are more active at night, but as this video confirms, they will also hunt during daylight hours. These rodents are also excellent swimmers, both on the surface and underwater.

Brown rats may carry a number of pathogens which can result in disease, such as the dreaded Leptospirosis (Weil’s Disease,) Rat Bite Fever, Cryptosporidiosis, and Viral Hemorrhagic Fever. Brown rats however are mistakenly believed to be a major reservoir for Bubonic Plague. Rats are normally very shy creatures, but in the wild will bite as a last resort of defence, if it feels cornered.

The brown rat is kept as a pet in many parts of the world e.g. United States, United Kingdom and Australia in particular, with countries forming Rat Associations similar in nature to our Kennel Clubs, which promote responsible pet ownership.
This video was captured on a Flip HD Video Camera ideal for capturing nature, upclose and personal.

The arrival of just one new born baby, in any home, is an expensive occasion, especially in recessionary times, what with Pay Cuts, Rising Food Prices, Universal Social Charges and high Unemployment.

Imagine therefore the problems experienced by Thomas and Theresa Thrush, resident here in Thurles, when quadruplets arrived on Easter Sunday last, taking up residence in their one roomed mud dwelling.

It’s hard going, feeding four babies, whose mouths are constantly open, demanding to be fed, as the video hereunder demonstrates, however the parenting skills of Thomas and Theresa seem to be “up to the mark,” despite having no previous experience in child care.

Here in Ireland the Song Thrush (Turdus Philomelos) is a very common bird, usually found breeding in forests, gardens and parks. It is easily identified by its brownish upper-parts and black-spotted  buff underparts.

The female Song Thrush builds a cup-shaped nest, beginning in the month of April. The nest is usually lined with mud and dry grass and on occasion these materials can include bits of twine and plastic paper, e.g. sweet wrappers that she finds lying about. The nests are usually found in tall hedges,trees or hidden in creeping plant such as Ivy, and approximately six feet above ground level.

Theresa this year laid four bright glossy blue eggs which were lightly spotted with black / purplish markings. She incubated her eggs, alone, for 15/16 days with occasional daily visits from her husband Thomas. The four fledgelings now born, are continuing to thrive, but their biggest threat, here in an urban setting over the coming days, will come from domestic cats and magpies.

Thomas and Theresa Thrush are both omnivorous, eating a wide range of invertebrates, but especially insects, earthworms and snails, as well as most soft fruit and berries. Garden pests such as snails are an important part of their diet during times of drought or harsh weather. These birds often use a favourite stone as an “anvil,” to smash the snail before extracting the soft fleshy interior, which it invariably wiped on the ground to remove bits of shell casing, before consumption. The Thrush can be easily observed skipping along the grass in search of food, with its head tilted to one side, since its eyes are on the side of its head.

It is easy to identify a Song Thrush by its sound which has repeated musical phrases. Indeed in the poem by the romantic poet, William Wordsworth, entitled “The Tables Turned,” he refers to the sound of the Song Thrush, and writes:

“Hark, how blithe the throstle sings, And he is no mean preacher,
Come forth into the light of things, Let Nature be your teacher.”