Squirrels

Taxi_Lad

I regularly walk my dogs around the Bexley area and can honestly say I haven't seen a single squirrel for over a month. Anyone shed any light???

soapy_jones

Squirrel face is so imcensed by that nickname she's had them all shot!

Nah not really, they have been transfered (undisclosed) to network forests...

RodneyCharltonTrotta

It's nuts.

Macronate

they hibernate in May.

Stig

Meire busy on FIFA 2016, trying to fathom out which British managers might be prepared to work for Roly.

bolloxbolder

I actually saw a dead squirrel in the road last week, presumably run over. Never seen that before.

i_b_b_o_r_g

If you're not seeing em, that's a good thing. The Greys are an invasive, non-native species, I've trapped and shot loads of em(Cue migrant jokes). With a bit of luck the Reds will start making more of a come back.

Covered End

They've emigrated to Bromley. We're overrun. Vote Squexit.

guinnessaddick

i_b_b_o_r_g said:

With a bit of luck the Reds will start making more of a come back.

Not a chance with Roland in charge.

man_at_milletts

Got two regulars in my garden near Sparrows Lane. One managed to avoid stepping on a mouse trap today.

cblock

Well done shooting them, you must feel proud.

ProSt8

I was thinking the same recently as I think I've seen one in my garden all year.

Something fairly considerable must have changed for them to be so few in numbers.

i_b_b_o_r_g

cblock said:

Well done shooting them, you must feel proud.

Just doing my job maam

McBobbin

They are queueing up to stare at me through the glass door of my centre parcs chalet, alongside the ducks, moorhens, pigeons, coots, deer and other assorted wildlife that aren't having this sandwich

harveys_gardener

Squirrell at my Mum's begging for brazil nuts by climbing on door handle.

i_b_b_o_r_g

McBobbin said:

They are queueing up to stare at me through the glass door of my centre parcs chalet, alongside the ducks, moorhens, pigeons, coots, deer and other assorted wildlife that aren't having this sandwich

A friend of mine is one of the Red Squirrel Rangers, paid for by Centre Parks, among others, to try and get reds squirrel numbers up by dealing with the greys.

Uboat

Grey squirrels are a plague.
In Ireland, they've used a pine marten reintroduction scheme to get rid of them and it's working. They can't get the reds, because they're smaller and more nimble. I'd love to see that happen here.

McBobbin

Uboat said:

Grey squirrels are a plague.
In Ireland, they've used a pine marten reintroduction scheme to get rid of them and it's working. They can't get the reds, because they're smaller and more nimble. I'd love to see that happen here.

Pine martens are badass. I caught one once in a squirrel trap (flying squirrels in alaska) and no animal has been more pissed off either before or since

i_b_b_o_r_g

Uboat said:

Grey squirrels are a plague.
In Ireland, they've used a pine marten reintroduction scheme to get rid of them and it's working. They can't get the reds, because they're smaller and more nimble. I'd love to see that happen here.

Never knew they had greys in Ireland. We got Reds and beech/stone martens in our little bit of woodlands, see em 2 or 3 times a week from the bedroom window.

DaveMehmet

McBobbin said:

They are queueing up to stare at me through the glass door of my centre parcs chalet, alongside the ducks, moorhens, pigeons, coots, deer and other assorted wildlife that aren't having this sandwich

My wife & daughter are at elveden this week, I'm driving down for the last couple of days on Thursday. They have the fattest squirrels I've ever seen there.

guinnessaddick

I saw this whilst out with the dog. It had been hit by a car or something, it back was broken and it was crawling across the road by its front legs. Couldn't do much as the dog was going mad at it, think it was going to find somewhere to die, poor thing.

i_b_b_o_r_g

guinnessaddick said:

I saw this whilst out with the dog. It had been hit by a car or something, it back was broken and it was crawling across the road by its front legs. Couldn't do much as the dog was going mad at it, think it was going to find somewhere to die, poor thing.

You really need to put it out its misery mate, only thing you can do unfortunately

seth plum

About 60 years ago I remember seeing a red in jack woods Shooters Hill

SE10Addick

The family of squirrels in the trees at the end of my garden seem to be doing ok.

Except for the odd dead one the cats bring in.

i_b_b_o_r_g

seth plum said:

About 60 years ago I remember seeing a red in jack woods Shooters Hill

I was in the car part of the Oxleas Wood hispital place at the top of Shooters Hill, waiting for me dad, when I saw one jumping along the fence. It was a years back mind, probably 20 years or so.

i_b_b_o_r_g

SE10Addick said:

The family of squirrels in the trees at the end of my garden seem to be doing ok.

Except for the odd dead one the cats bring in.

Trap em mate, go great on the bbq

i_b_b_o_r_g

cblock said:

Well done shooting them, you must feel proud.

If I use a live capture trap, what else do you expect me to do? Considering it is not only against the law, but completely inhumane to release them in a different location

Leuth

There's an argument that humans shouldn't deal with introduced-species issues by culling but should basically suck it up, or at the most attempt to redress the balance with (non-damaging) further introductions. I can see why there's a desire to protect red squirrel numbers (native species, pretty) but if this can only be achieved by wiping out huge numbers of grey squirrels I'd argue it isn't worth it. It isn't like the reds are ecologically necessary either - if say honeybees were being threatened by an invasive species which didn't perform the same ecological function then sure declare war etc but the thing about large mammals is that by dint of their size and position in the food chain they're usually amongst the least important species to preserve, ecologically if not aesthetically speaking. I'm not saying 'sod the panda' but I am saying that conservationist priorities are often skewed and that killing grey squirrels to save reds strikes me as both completely illogical and deeply unpleasant.

i_b_b_o_r_g

Leuth said:

There's an argument that humans shouldn't deal with introduced-species issues by culling but should basically suck it up, or at the most attempt to redress the balance with (non-damaging) further introductions. I can see why there's a desire to protect red squirrel numbers (native species, pretty) but if this can only be achieved by wiping out huge numbers of grey squirrels I'd argue it isn't worth it. It isn't like the reds are ecologically necessary either - if say honeybees were being threatened by an invasive species which didn't perform the same ecological function then sure declare war etc but the thing about large mammals is that by dint of their size and position in the food chain they're usually amongst the least important species to preserve, ecologically if not aesthetically speaking. I'm not saying 'sod the panda' but I am saying that conservationist priorities are often skewed and that killing grey squirrels to save reds strikes me as both completely illogical and deeply unpleasant.

What if they were in your loft, going through your cables?

Leuth

I'd get a cat or five? And I'd dress the cats in copper uniform

man_at_milletts

This is Sid, one our regulars. As you can see he's a bit possessive about the food box.
The damage on the roof was done by a Wooodpecker.