Gardening
Wildlife watch
The grey squirrel
Writer and photographer, David Chapman, on why grey squirrels are a misunderstood bunch
I won’t pretend that the grey squirrel is everyone’s favourite garden animal. If I had a pound for every time I had been asked how to keep the grey squirrel out of the garden or away from the bird feeders I would be a wealthier man, but I can’t ever remember being asked how to attract them to the garden!
I suspect that the main reason for their lack of popularity is the way in which they dominate bird feeding areas but they also damage trees, eat bird’s eggs and are indirectly responsible for the demise of our native red squirrel.
You may think that any defence of the grey squirrel is futile, but here I go anyway!
It wasn’t their fault they were introduced to Britain by us at the end of the 19th century and it isn’t their fault that they have out-done the red squirrel. Their antics and acrobatics at the bird feeding area are actually incredibly impressive, it’s just that we are quite fussy about who benefits from our generosity.
Finally what better way is there to encourage our children to become interested in wildlife than by taking them for a walk in the park to feed the ducks and squirrels. So I must confess that although I would rather the country be over-run by red squirrels, in their absence I would rather have the greys than none at all.
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Reader comments
Re grey squirrels,only 3-4 years ago we used to see the occassional grey,we now get up to 4 at any one time each day. We put out food,hanging baskets,seeds etc for the birds,of which we have a wide variety and abundance of,only to see the greys come in and take and destroy everything we put out despite all efforts to prevent this.I think there are now too many of them to be enjoyable.
Posted by: chris Newman | 05/02/2008 16:20:54
Anyone who would like some rey squirrels is welcome to come and fetch some of ours. They appear to have multiplied over the past few years. They dig up our bulbs and have now become a nuisance. Clapping of hands no longer frighten them off and some of the elderly are loath to leave their garden doors and windows open in the summer. They appear to have got longer and appear more like rats. We live near the New Forest and we never see them there. Think they prefer our gardens!
Posted by: Jean Koefman | 02/02/2008 11:08:24
Have you any advice on how to discourage squirrels getting into or the roof space of a house. We blocked up holes but they gnawed another!
Posted by: Mike Hammett | 02/02/2008 02:07:34
