After working out how the trap Jeremy bought from the red barn with Reuben's help, he was off first thing this morning to set it. It's right here:
Under strategically placed leaves. Timo had the idea to camouflage the trap to make it burrow or nest like, he thinks he's going to catch a stoat or weasel, probably a rat. Next issue will be how to kill the creature as the trap is a trap that traps and that's it. He has already thought that drowning it in the cage may be the best option. hmmm... this is probably where my involvement with it stops and Jeremy takes over.
The day out at the workshop was really great. The first lecture was from a very passionate ornithologist, and we find it's mostly always interesting listening to someone talk about something they're passionate about. Timo happily sat through 2+ hours of this. A lot of learning about local birds and the endemic to the West Coast black petrel/taiko, other birds in general like the fascinating Sooty Shearwater (muttonbird) that can dive 60-90 metres and migrates from NZ to lattitudes of Alaska via South America! Also inspired further ornithological study of local sea birds, our immediate natives, maybe some future involvement with the Blue Penguin Trust as we have a local beach with a patch that is habitat for the little blue penguins (we saw their tracks one day) and they need help from time to time recording sightings etc; predators, outings with Reuben. Timo also has the idea to make his own coat out of rat skins, or skins of whatever he can catch using his trap. He was quite taken with Reuben's possum coast with seal teeth as toggles, Timo thinks he will use rat teeth. Will be keen to see if he still has the motivation once he realises it will take two hundred rat skins. He's been watching a bit of Bear Grylls lately, it is no wonder he's keen to utilise the wild and work in it, wouldn't surprise me if he tried to eat whatever he catches either...
