My gripe is in the true spirit of a curmudgeon. I ordered new strawberry plants last week, they were scheduled to be dispatched at the end of the month. Perfect to enable me to finish preparing the new bed. The plants arrived at the weekend, the bed is not ready and the ground is frozen, so I have had to pot them up . I know, I know, most people would be happy with that, but I have had to use a lot of MPC, unnecessarily.
That certainly paints a picture @wild edges I wonder how many more Red areas have changed to Grey in the last 12 years. Used to enjoy the Red Squirrels in my gardens in France but here ? Only the Greys.
You can see why there's huge concern in Perthshire and further north - Cairngorms etc, and across to the west Highlands. From southern Scotland to the Highlands - they're becoming ever more prevalent. I'm not sure how much longer the SW of Scotland will be able to keep them at bay. There's huge amounts of forestry/habitat for the reds there, but....
Look how bad it is in Ireland - north and south. That orange area of 'both' will soon just be grey.
It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
That certainly paints a picture @wild edges I wonder how many more Red areas have changed to Grey in the last 12 years. Used to enjoy the Red Squirrels in my gardens in France but here ? Only the Greys.
@philippasmith2. My guess is that most of SW Scotland is now grey. There's huge forest not far from me that used to be strong hub of reds, hides all over the place to watch them. I haven't seen a single one for about 6 years. Fortunately the land owner is passionate about them so hopefully work will start there.
I was reading an article the other day that spoke of gene therapy whereby the females, simply put, are sterilised and the breed gradually fades away. I think it's being pioneered by the Roslin Institute up in Edinburgh. I'll look it up and post the link.
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It might not be their fault they're here, but that's the consequences when they aren't controlled.
They do horrific damage to young trees etc too.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Used to enjoy the Red Squirrels in my gardens in France but here ? Only the Greys.
Same goes for pretty green parakeets
I'm not sure how much longer the SW of Scotland will be able to keep them at bay. There's huge amounts of forestry/habitat for the reds there, but....
Look how bad it is in Ireland - north and south. That orange area of 'both' will soon just be grey.
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
Nickname for the grey squirrel is 'tree rats' which just about sums them up.
There's huge forest not far from me that used to be strong hub of reds, hides all over the place to watch them. I haven't seen a single one for about 6 years. Fortunately the land owner is passionate about them so hopefully work will start there.
I was reading an article the other day that spoke of gene therapy whereby the females, simply put, are sterilised and the breed gradually fades away. I think it's being pioneered by the Roslin Institute up in Edinburgh. I'll look it up and post the link.
https://www.ed.ac.uk/roslin/news-events/latest-news/gene-tool-holds-promise-managing-invasive-species