HAS THE RAT GOT FOOTHOLD ON NÓLSOY? |
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Rat hole? found on Borðan on Nólsoy 19. October 2011 |
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| Rat Rattus norvegicus Bergenhout, 1769, Tórshavn 21.11.2011 |
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Update 23-24.03.2012 |
It is a heavy burden for older men to carry wet rat-tunnels up into 372 metres height |
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| Jens-Kjeld Jensen |
Marnar á Skúr resting his tired legs |
A tired Jens-Kjeld |
Marnar á Skúr monitoring a rat-tunnel |
It is hard for older men to carry wet rat tunnels up into 372 metres height, but yesterday Jens-Kjeld and Marnar á Skúr walked the heavy walk up on the top of Nólsoy with some rat tunnels, that they placed there. Today and tomorrow the tour goes to Hósmøl, where they also will monitor some rat tunnels. Good there are enthusiasts like them! |
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| Hósmøl 24.03.2012 |
Hósmøl 24.03.2012 |
Marnar á Skúr monitoring rat-tunnels |
Marnar á Skúr monitoring rat-tunnels |
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| The difference between rat and mouse |
 
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| Update 17.11.2011 |
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| These are most likely footprints from mice |
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Today we went to Borðan with the boat Lív, who approached at the landing site Stallurin. Together we were some from Tórshavnar kommuna and Náttúrugripasavninum, one of the caretakers of the lighthouse and Mikkjal and the rat dog. We put about 30 new tunnels made of wood, 125 waxtags and sticks covered with butter. |
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| Update 09.11.2011 |
  
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Mikkjal was on Borðan today. There were bite marks in 5 of the waxtags, which he then took home. Mikkjal had planned to enter the warehouse, but he could not get in, since no one in Nólsoy had a key. The ink paper was blown out of the only tunnel that is out there, but he fastened a new paper, besides that he set up a new tunnel. These tunnels are made of a mixture of cardboard / plastic, which does not hold for very long in the rain and wind, that we have at the moment, so hopefully it won't be long before we get some more durable tunnels out to Nólsoy. Mikkjal did not put any new waxtags up. And still we do not know which animal eats the waxtags. |
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| Update 05.11.2011 |
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| The warehouse on Borðan, Nólsoy |
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| The warehouse on Borðan, Nólsoy |
Waxtag |
Bite marks from an unknown animal |
The landing site at Stallurin, Borðan, Nólsoy |
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| Rat hole? |
| 05.11.2011 I was out on Borðan to put 12 waxtags around the warehouse. Mikkjal Holm then takes off on Monday for those who are bitten by. Hopefully we will soon find out which animals are involved. |
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| Update 02.11.2011 |
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02.11.2011 the caretakers at the lighthouse on Borðan came home to the village with 2 wax sticks, which had stood near the rails at the warehouse at Borðan. Distinct bite marks are in the sticks and they do not come from mice. I can not say with guarantee that the bite marks are from rat - let the experts decide, but everything points to it. |
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| Rat hole? found on Borðan on Nólsoy 19. October 2011 |
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| 19. October 2011 I travelled to Nólsoy together with Asbjørn, Hans Peter & Georg, who are employed at "Statens Fyrvæsen" as caretakers of the lighthouse on Borðan, situated on the southern end of Nólsoy. The men told me about a hole, that they had seen near the warehouse, at the landing place on Borðan. The hole had come this summer. |
| I immediately contacted Mikkjal Holm who together with his “rat-dog” accompanied the workers to the lighthouse on Borðan. |
The hole was round and app. 38 mm in width. It was digged down in the ground beside a sleeper (earlier used to transport goods from the landing place up to the lighthouse), that was lying on a layer of rocks.
The dog was very interested in the hole, but I don’t think we can rely on his behaviour, since it is still a puppy and not fully trained.
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| Mikkjal set up 3 tunnel’s, where an area of app. 10 cm. in the bottom is covered with a special ink, that can’t dry out. After a mouse or a rat has walked on the ink it is easy to determine the species from the footprints. Mikkjal also set up 4 special sticks, that are covered with some special wax. When a mouse or a rat bites the stick, the species can be determined from the imprint of the teeth’s. |
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| Rat-update 11.02.2010 |
| The Town Council of Tórshavn seems to take the observation of footsteps from rats in Nólsoy quite seriously. 9. February a panel of experts were set to prepare a "Tilbúgvingarætlan fyri rottutýning" for Tórshavn and the small islands, belonging to the municipality. |
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| The first meeting resulted in that several rat traps with poison in were placed around the harbor area in Nólsoy 11. February, but they have not caught any alive nor dead rat yet. |
| On the photo you can see Mikkjal Holm and Marnar á Skúr aside the wheel barrow with rat traps, preparing to place them around the harbor area. |
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| Searching for rats in Nólsoy 08.02.2010 |
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| The biologist Sjúrður Hammer started his own search for rats on Nólsoy 08.02.2010. He did not succeed in finding any. A meeting was scheduled to be held in Tórshavn 09.02.2010 about this possible catastrophe for the bird life in Nólsoy. More update will follow later. |
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| Finally the rat came to Nólsoy! |
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| Tracks of footsteps from rats on Nólsoy 01.02.2010 |
The hole where the footsteps stop |
Estimating the size of the footsteps |
Marnar á Skúr organizing the poison for the rats |
| 01.02.2010 I saw the sight, that I least of all wished to see - traces of footsteps from rats near the church on Nólsoy. If it wasn't for the snow, I would not have noticed them, so heaven knows, when this most unwelcome and horrifying guest has arrived. The last many years I've been fighting without getting any response from the politician's regarding a revise or a very much needed updating of the Faroese Nature Protecting law. As it is now, it is almost non exciting. An important rule or law, that all countries surrounding us use is, that all boats should use rat screens, when they sail between the islands, but until this date it has been impossible to convince the Faroese politicians about the necessity of this. It will mean the certain death of the biggest colony of European Storm Petrel and the vulnerable Puffin colony as well, in case the rat get a foothold on Nólsoy. To whom do we then send the bill? |
