They wreck my bird feeders! If they can't knock the bottom out, they knock the top off and empty the feeder on the ground, or chew through the metal. So far thin green wire is keeping the feeders squirrel proof, but it remains to be seen for how long!
It's about time people in britain start to appreciate our native wildlife and get over the "cute and cuddly" syndrome. We must do everything in our power to conserve our red squirrels.We are lucky so far in Northern Ireland not to have any reported cases of squirrelpox affecting reds(to the best of my knowledge)but greys are increasing at an alarming rate. We have set up several red squirrel groups with the aim of educating people to the problems caused by greys and also carry out supplementary feeding for reds. I agree with wats577's comments that more wildlife film makers need to report on what is happening with our local wildlife instead of what is happening in other parts of the world only. WE NEED TO ACT NOW OR WE ARE CONDEMNING OUR RED SQUIRREL TO EXTINCTION.
One of the strongest colonies of red squirrels was at the Formby nature reserve near Blackpool. They would also be seen in peoples back gardens. Through sloth and apathy greys got nearer and nearer geographically, and spread the squirrel pox to the reds there, and now the reserve is empty. My Mum used to have reds in the garden and now there are none. One of my childhood memories that no more children will experience. More will need to be done to save the small pockets of red squirrels on eg Brownsea Island.
I agree wholeheartedly with those who wish to cull the grey squirrel population and to preserve our red squirrel population. However, can anyone suggest what we might DO to stop squirrels in our gardens, especially if we like to feed the birds? The best thing I have found for keeping squirrels off the bird feeder is a large perspex dome that fits over the feeder and which the squirrels simply cannot find a way round and they slide off eventually. They cannot bite through it and eventually give up trying to get under it. It's made by Droll Yankees and is one of the best things I ever bought.
One of the problems in the reds vs grey's debate is that very few people in Britain get to see wild mammals in their gardens and parks and are delighted to see one, especially if it is friendly or amusing to watch. Greys fulfil this need for many people. Reds have done this in the past only on a very limited scale and even if all the greys were eliminated would take over a century to breed back to a level where they could do this, if ever in cities, because of their more limited dietary needs. We don't have an argument yet which overcomes this nice to watch in favour of the reds. in case anyone wants to know I live in an area without either reds or greys and would love to have either - preferably a red. Seeing a mouse or a brown rat is a highlight (as long as they stay out of the house). I took a group of children (8-12 years old) to a nature reserve with a feeding station and hide. While we were there a brown rat came out to feed. The children were fasinated - it was the first wild mammal any of them had seen! While many people feel the same about greys as the children did about the rat it will be difficult to get people behind elimination of the greys.
I don't think there is any way to promise reintroduction of the red (even if disease resistance could be bred in) to replace the greys if a full cull was to take place and until there is some people will not want or accept a cull.
There is a grey squirrel who comes to my garden everyday and steals sunflower seeds and seed balls from the birdfeeders. The RSPB site suggests mixing/coating chilli powder with the seeds and seed balls as the birds do not mind the chilli powder but the squirrels do not like them. I have done this to some degree of success and was wondering if it will also work for my pot plants and other plants/bulbs in the garden which the squirrel likes to destroy by digging holes and eating the bulbs/roots. Has anybody else tried this and will the chilli powder harm the plants?
Any advice for a dealing with a rogue blackbird. I live on a new housing estate, have a large patio with large tubs containing cherry, apricot and plum trees on dwarf root stocks as well as 2 bluberry bushes. Despite trying to get netting around my bluberrys and hanging an array of shiny objects to deter the little rascal, it has stripped the blueberries and cherries and has now attacked (and made a complete mess of) my ripening apricots. Earlier in the year it dug up all my carrot and parsnip seedlings (looking for worms) in my small raised patio bed. All my hard work ruined! Any suggetstions?
Grey squirrels are a pest they should all be shot as well as any other non-native wildlife such as mink and muntjak deer because they destroy our native wildlife
Reds cause damage and eat birds eggs and fledglings too. That is why they were hunted in the past. There were clubs set up solely to hunt red squirrels. They were considered a pest. People saw reds as vermin. How things have changed. Now the grey is called vermin and a pest. It is vilified just as the red was. Now the red squirrel can do no wrong. Has any-one considered how many reds are actually native. Reds from Norway were introduced into this country to try and boost the population. How many of our native reds are truly native. Yet again we have decided to blame another creature for our own short comings. If we hadn't depleted the red populations by over hunting and habitat destruction, thay might have had a fighting chance when the greys were introduced. And how far do we go when we talk about introduced species. Domestic animals and pets are non-native. Most plants and flowers in our gardens are non-native. Our crops are mostly of non-native origin. There are many tree species that are non-native. Pheasants are introduced but no-one seems to mind thousands of them being let loose in our countryside each year so rich people can have their bit of fun. If you look at it we are an introduced species. Our original home being Africa. So shall we get rid of the lot of them and get the countryside back to the way it was just after the last ice age. To be honest what is native to the UK. Ecosystems have changed over millions of years. What is considered a native species now wasn't a few million years ago for instance. We can not preserve our wild life in amber. It has changed in the past and will continue to do so. What we must do how ever is try not to mess things up any more than we have done already. Time to live with and not against nature.
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in case anyone wants to know I live in an area without either reds or greys and would love to have either - preferably a red. Seeing a mouse or a brown rat is a highlight (as long as they stay out of the house).
I took a group of children (8-12 years old) to a nature reserve with a feeding station and hide. While we were there a brown rat came out to feed. The children were fasinated - it was the first wild mammal any of them had seen!
While many people feel the same about greys as the children did about the rat it will be difficult to get people behind elimination of the greys.
I don't think there is any way to promise reintroduction of the red (even if disease resistance could be bred in) to replace the greys if a full cull was to take place and until there is some people will not want or accept a cull.
Any suggetstions?
Yet again we have decided to blame another creature for our own short comings. If we hadn't depleted the red populations by over hunting and habitat destruction, thay might have had a fighting chance when the greys were introduced. And how far do we go when we talk about introduced species. Domestic animals and pets are non-native. Most plants and flowers in our gardens are non-native. Our crops are mostly of non-native origin. There are many tree species that are non-native. Pheasants are introduced but no-one seems to mind thousands of them being let loose in our countryside each year so rich people can have their bit of fun. If you look at it we are an introduced species. Our original home being Africa. So shall we get rid of the lot of them and get the countryside back to the way it was just after the last ice age. To be honest what is native to the UK. Ecosystems have changed over millions of years. What is considered a native species now wasn't a few million years ago for instance. We can not preserve our wild life in amber. It has changed in the past and will continue to do so. What we must do how ever is try not to mess things up any more than we have done already. Time to live with and not against nature.