# Some great wildlife videos shot on the Dodder



## Brendan Burgess (18 Apr 2011)

While cycling along the Dodder, I often meet Paul Hughes who sits their for hours photographing foxes, or kingfishers or rats. 

He has caught some stuff which is very rarely seen e.g. a Heron catching and swallowing a live rat. 

[broken link removed]

Brendan


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## Marion (18 Apr 2011)

That is fantastic.  I presume Mr Rat quietened down in the stomach! Must have been a lot of screeching! Liked the way he tried to drown him as well.

Was he sharpening his beak on the stone afterwards?

I saw two rats chomping on nuts on a bird feeder - not mine thankfully - a couple of weeks ago. They were as well fed as the lad in that video. 

Pity there were no herons around!

Marion


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## Brendan Burgess (18 Apr 2011)

The heron seemed to know what he was doing. The rat never got a chance to bite him. I presume a bite from a rat would be deadly to a bird? 

He had him by the rear end at first, but the heron seemed to be able to flip him around by 90 degrees and then, he had him across the back. I think that the rat was pretty lifeless at that stage. 

I did wonder what the heron was doing afterwards. Was he scraping some rat off his beak? Or just washing it. Maybe the rat did get in a bite before he died? 

There is another one where he dispatches a duckling in similar manner. But it's much sadder.


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## Sue Ellen (18 Apr 2011)

Much as I dislike rats I had to turn the video off shortly after it started.  Can't even bear to think about one with a duckling


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## horusd (18 Apr 2011)

Ugh, that was disgusting Brendan ! I just watched Sarah Benny's "Help, my house is infested". Bed bugs, rats, etc. The bed bugs were the worst, I haven't stopped scratching and I've just changed all the bedclothes and hoovered the hell out of the bed. Why oh why did I watch that program and why did I think watching that heron dispatch the rat was a good idea? Tho, I wonder, the rat was still alive going into the heron's tummy, and it does have claws etc... ugh images of Alien springing unwanted to my mind...


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## Brendan Burgess (18 Apr 2011)

Hi SueEllen and Horus

Maybe you would prefer these


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## Firefly (19 Apr 2011)

Hi Brendan,

Thanks for that...my dad was telling me about this guy only last week and I've forwarded him the website details now so he'll be delighted. 

F.


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## Sue Ellen (19 Apr 2011)

Brendan Burgess said:


> Hi SueEllen and Horus
> 
> Maybe you would prefer these



Hi Brendan,

Definitely more my cup of tea.  Can't cope mentally with the other stuff, keeps me awake thinking about it.


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## micmclo (19 Apr 2011)

Brendan Burgess said:


> There is another one where he dispatches a duckling in similar manner.


I can't watch that 



Now here is something much better
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wTWWjYTe1I

Cookie the Penquin

I've watched this a few times now, adorable
Watch to the end


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## thedaras (19 Apr 2011)

Amazing footage!
Two things struck me, one; Its the first time Ive ever felt sorry for a rat.
And two ; wonder why the Heron kept dipping the rat in the water.


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## Guest105 (19 Apr 2011)

Brendan Burgess said:


> While cycling along the Dodder, I often meet Paul Hughes who sits their for hours photographing foxes, or kingfishers or rats.
> 
> He has caught some stuff which is very rarely seen e.g. a Heron catching and swallowing a live rat.
> 
> ...


 


I just don't have the nerve to open the link after reading the above posts, I think I would feel quite ill if I did


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## horusd (19 Apr 2011)

micmclo said:


> I can't watch that
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 

Ahh, totally my cup of tea!


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## JP1234 (19 Apr 2011)

Thanks Brendan!  I have been browsing for the last hour...loved the red fox videos.


for those who prefer something a bit more cute how about Denver the Guilty Dog 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8ISzf2pryI


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## Firefly (20 Apr 2011)

thedaras said:


> wonder why the Heron kept dipping the rat in the water.




The Heron was trying to get intel on the whereabouts of the other rats and resorted to water-boarding


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## Lex Foutish (20 Apr 2011)

Firefly said:


> The Heron was trying to get intel on the whereabouts of the other rats and resorted to water-boarding


 
Post of the day, Firefly!


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## Complainer (20 Apr 2011)

I love the way the heron has a little drink of water after swallowing the rat, to wash him down presumably.


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## Yorrick (20 Apr 2011)

I have seen the heron at the back of Ashtons Bar opposite Beaver Row. Its a magnificent creature. Its amazing that there are some many animals and birds so near the city. ,


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## micmclo (21 Apr 2011)

Watched the rat video but I cannot watch a duckling getting swallowed 

I'm off to youtube for videos of cute puppies


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## Complainer (21 Apr 2011)

Yorrick said:


> I have seen the heron at the back of Ashtons Bar opposite Beaver Row. Its a magnificent creature


Heron got thrown out of Ashtons for getting rat-arsed drunk.


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## Firefly (21 Apr 2011)

complainer said:


> heron got thrown out of ashtons for getting rat-arsed drunk.



:d


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## Sue Ellen (22 Apr 2011)

JP1234 said:


> for those who prefer something a bit more cute how about Denver the Guilty Dog
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8ISzf2pryI



The best laugh I've had in a long time.  The look on Denver's face, somethin' else


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## Brendan Burgess (22 Apr 2011)

For some more on rats, David Attenborough will be speaking about them on Radio 4 this evening at 20.50. It will be broadcast again on Sunday at 8.50.

This series has been excellent and his take on rats should be particularly good. 




> It might be surprising to hear, but David Attenborough has made it  known over the years that rats are not his favourite animal. In this  piece, dedicated to his nemesis, Attenborough with great wit and skill  tells us of the living nightmare he endured whilst on location in a  place infested with them. If that wasn't enough, whilst making Life of  Mammals, he devoted a whole programme to them - and to balance his own  personal view went to an Indian temple where the rat is revered and even  encouraged to swarm in vast numbers. But in a clever twist of the  story, as is the hallmark of David Attenborough, in no uncertain way he  tells us why they should be respected.


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## Brendan Burgess (21 Jun 2011)

Paul has a great photograph on the front page of today's Irish Times and a few more on Page 4

For those of you are put off by rats, this is a much nicer picture. The heron is eating a duckling. 

[broken link removed]

Brendan


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## Sue Ellen (21 Jun 2011)

Brendan Burgess said:


> this is a *much nicer picture*. The heron is *eating a duckling*.
> 
> Brendan


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## RonanC (21 Jun 2011)

Sue Ellen said:


>


 
Its called Nature.

People giving out about the heron, while at the same time they munching a chicken/ham/tuna sandwich


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## Marion (21 Jun 2011)

... the video. Heron eats ducklings by Paul Hughes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KEW5w-k9d8

Marion


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## micmclo (21 Jun 2011)

The baby ducking, gulp


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## horusd (21 Jun 2011)

The poor thing, what a way to go. He obviously didn't "duck" enough when the heron swooped ...ok I'm leavin.


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## Brendan Burgess (21 Jun 2011)

RonanC said:


> Its called Nature.
> 
> People giving out about the heron, while at the same time they munching a chicken/ham/tuna sandwich



The photographer, Paul Hughes, was critical of the man throwing stones at the Heron, "especially as he was eating a chicken sandwich". I thought that was very funny.


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## RonanC (21 Jun 2011)

One Duckling eaten, another One saved in same city  

Nature is brilliant


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## z107 (26 Jun 2011)

RonanC said:


> Its called Nature.
> 
> People giving out about the heron, while at the same time they munching a chicken/ham/tuna sandwich



Indeed.
There was no waste with the rat. The whole lot was eaten whole.
Far worse are humans with our plastic, waste, fukushima, oil, landfills, starving people/billionaires etc, etc...
Now that's obscene.


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## Purple (27 Jun 2011)

RonanC said:


> while at the same time they munching a chicken/ham/tuna sandwich



That sounds like a disgusting sandwich.


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## Brendan Burgess (20 Nov 2014)

Paul has compiled a book of his photos and it's really excellent. 



You can read the Irish Times review here: 

*Capturing Dublin’s wild side*



A great Xmas present.


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## Purple (21 Nov 2014)

Brendan Burgess said:


> Paul has compiled a book of his photos and it's really excellent.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



I just bought 2 copies


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## Brendan Burgess (24 Nov 2014)

Purple said:


> I just bought 2 copies



Thanks, but I already have a copy. 

Brendan


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## Purple (25 Nov 2014)

Brendan Burgess said:


> Thanks, but I already have a copy.
> 
> Brendan



I'll return one so.


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## STEINER (29 Nov 2014)

Nothing to do with the Dodder, but I went on a bird of prey/falconry experience in Wicklow a couple of years back.  The harris' hawk was let off and nabbed a rat in a copse.  The rat was screeching for a short while the talons dug in.  The hawk started to pick at it, but the handler put the rat in a pouch for the hawk to eat later, otherwise the hawk wouldn't have flew around for us with a full belly.


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## Brendan Burgess (1 Dec 2014)

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## flowerman (5 Dec 2014)

Sue Ellen said:


> Much as I dislike rats I had to turn the video off shortly after it started. Can't even bear to think about one with a duckling


 

Here you go so.

The outcome is not what you would be expecting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiyWXQyAJ44


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## STEINER (3 Mar 2015)

This is a photo!

http://www.independent.ie/world-new...the-back-of-a-flying-woodpecker-31036156.html


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## Sue Ellen (3 Mar 2015)

STEINER said:


> This is a photo!
> 
> http://www.independent.ie/world-new...the-back-of-a-flying-woodpecker-31036156.html



Saw that to-day Steiner and was delighted to read the article and see that the woodpecker survived


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## STEINER (6 Mar 2015)

Weasel gotta feed the kids too!


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## Purple (16 Mar 2015)

STEINER said:


> Weasel gotta feed the kids too!



Remind me of that great Clint Eastwood line from The Outlaw Jose Wales. When the kid he's travelling with asks if they should bury the men they just killed Eastwood replies "Birds gotta eat too, same as worms".


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