Rhyl: Bird numbers hit by rats eating eggs, say visitors
- Published
Visitors have reported rats are plundering bird eggs from a nature reserve
An increasing number of rats at a nature reserve have ravaged the bird population by plundering their eggs, visitors have said.
Dog walkers have reported rodents at Brickfield Pond in Rhyl, Denbighshire, which they say are depleting bird life.
Susan Nelson, who lives in the area, said it was due to people deliberately feeding rats and other wildlife.
Denbighshire council said it planned to resume pest control but was wary of affecting wildlife.
Retired college lecturer Ms Nelson, who regularly walks at Brickfield Pond, said it was "absolutely overrun with rats" in 2020, reducing the numbers of duck, coot and moorhen eggs the following spring to "virtually nothing".
She said the council laid box traps, which helped tackle the problem, but "they haven't been maintained and they cannot stop people feeding the rats".
Overfeeding of birds has been blamed for the boom in rat numbers
"You try and make light of it, but it's a constant thing. Lots of people say that they don't use the facility. They don't go there because they don't want to be that close to rats," Ms Nelson added.
Ann Hughes, a retired social worker who lives nearby, said the rat population was growing.
She said: "We've seen the rats running through the trees. This year there are very few eggs, very few baby ducklings and baby swans, because we believe that the rats are taking the eggs.
"Rats will always be around. They say you are only six foot away from a rat in a city, and that's fine.
"But they're not as bold as these because they are getting regularly fed at times and they're running down the path at certain times of the day waiting to be fed."
The council say it is planning to resume pest control at Brickfield Pond
Denbighshire council said plans were in place to resume pest control at Brickfield Pond but it was mindful of managing the balance between wildlife and visitors with dogs.
A spokesman said: "We take management of this site very seriously. The council carried out pest control in 2020 at the site and plans are in place to resume this."
It blamed food litter and the overfeeding of birds at the site for the problem.
"We will be looking to step up enforcement action for litter offences at the area," the spokesman added.
RSPB Cymru has been approached for comment.
Denbighshire council has blamed food litter and overfeeding of birds for the rat problem
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