Taking a short stroll through Magdalen Wood this morning, a sudden movement caught my eye. Running up a tree was a small, furry rodent with a bushy tail: a squirrel. Running away from the same spot but along the ground was a similarly furry creature but with a pink, hairless tail: a rat!

Standing still for a few minutes, it became apparent that there were at least a couple of rats in the undergrowth. I think rats have had bad press and are probably feared more than they deserve. In a natural environment like that, they become something to observe with interest although I suspect that the people living round the edge of that small patch of woodland might have other ideas!