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.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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 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
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.
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
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.
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?
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Nah not really, they have been transfered (undisclosed) to network forests...
Something fairly considerable must have changed for them to be so few in numbers.
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.
Except for the odd dead one the cats bring in.
The damage on the roof was done by a Wooodpecker.