SQUIRRELS GOING NUTS

I wish I had been able to take a video of the grey squirrels playing in the trees in the neighbouring gardens this morning.  Two of them were chasing each other around, leaping from the bare branches of the ash trees, like Olympic athletes going for the gold.  While I see grey squirrels every single day, I have never yet seen two together and I wonder if they were not at play or being territorial but actually getting romantic.  Apparently this is the nooky season for squirrels. 




Grey squirrel on fence - August 2010

I have an elderly neighbour who feeds the birds with peanuts, seeds, and globes of seed-impregnated fat. The squirrels help themselves to whatever they want and they come and go, one at a time, and they disappear back from whence they came. Whence they came is actually only across the road from where I live to a small area of tree-surrounded water that once supplied a mill.  In the above (rather poor photograph) you can just see a squirrel on top of my fence.  It looks about ready to jump over to the neighbour's side to help itself to whatever is going - mostly peanuts.  Not long ago, in preparation for the winter of 2012-2013, I bought a bag of maize kernels which was marked as 'squirrel food'.  Squirrels are not remotely interested in the maize. They want peanuts. 

 

I think also that squirrels are not too interested in hanging around in my garden and that is probably down to the fact that I have a Ragdoll cat, Alfie, who keeps a careful blue eye, or two, out for intruders but seems to be pretty useless at actually ever catching anything.  Actually, I think he just isn't interested.

 

Summer 2012

 

I was looking at an article on the net earlier and it showed that a man had been culling (I don't know why they say culling when they actually mean killing) - showed that a man had been killing grey squirrels in order to give red squirrels a chance to survive.  It is true that I have never seen a red squirrel other than in photographs and that is, indeed, a shame.  But, from another article I was reading not so long ago, it would appear that the reason that the grey squirrel has survived and the red is not doing so well is because grey squirrels carry a disease that affects red squirrels which succumb to the disease and die.   I also, however, read that grey squirrels can cause disease of trees because they can strip away the bark allowing disease to enter into the trees.  So, red squirrels don't do that then?  Just asking the question.  I mean, is that what the problem is because, if it isn't, are some people killing grey squirrels because they think red squirrels look prettier?  I hear a lot of people calling the grey squirrels nothing but rats that live in trees.  If people feel they have a right to kill one type of animal because it survives at the expense of another animal, or because it destroys it's own environment, then what about the amount of animals that have become extinct or are on the verge of extinction because of the human animal?  And what about the irreparable damage that humans have done to the planet on which we all live?    Of course, I don't know all the ins and outs of squirrel control, any more than Alfie, and I'm no scientist or expert, but it does make me wonder.  Personally, I am very happy to have grey squirrels playing around my garden - just as long as they don't move into the loft!!!

RSPCA - Living with squirrels 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1295883/First-case-kind-Man-told-pay-1-500-guilty-drowning-squirrel.html

http://www.squirrels.info/uk/in_uk.htm