Damien Enright: Tails and tales to tell about my experiences with rats

The most dramatic rat-catcher ever to grace this garden was the heron that lived with us for eight years

A heron is an effective rat hunter.

It gives me some comfort to meet with insects in the garden. Why, you may ask? Well, because it means we’re providing fuel for those “engines” of pollination which will engender more pollination, and thus provide more insects, seed and fruit for the garden birds, hedgehogs, voles, wood mice and shrews, if we’re lucky enough to have them.

Recently, a correspondent reported a small, long-tailed, cute-looking creature her friend had seen in East Cork. From her description it was certainly an Irish stoat, Mustela erminea hibernica.