Inge Jones2/4/04 3:22

How come the squirrels round here are burying peanuts at this time of
year? Do they know something we don't about a climatic disaster
approaching?

Also I have noticed that their habits are changing to suit
circumstances. Squirrels have always been known to "lose" what they
bury, but round here they only go through the motions of burying it, and
leave each nut sticking half out of the ground. Presumably they've
adapted to realise that as there are not a lot of competitors in a town,
it's more efficient to leave the food easy to find.

In Wandsworth, my sister in law has a squirrel that comes into their tiny
back garden regularly and waits for the walnuts she rolls out of their
french windows, onto the lawn. ;-)

With any luck in another couple of years they will realise that the same
households will always leave plenty on the birdtable all year round and
there is no need to "squirrel them away" in any case.

Hmm... has no one told these people that you're not meant to put out
peanuts when the birds are breeding?

It's okay to have peanuts but they should be in tough, small mesh, feeders.
This means the birds only peck tiny bits off and don't take whole nuts which
they then stuff down the throats of their hapless offspring, choking them to
death.
Recently at a local feed and grain/gardening etc. etc. store (Tucker's in
Ashburton) we have found Barley gleanings in sacks and the birds love those.
(gleanings isn't the right word but I can't remember the correct one!)
--
Sacha
www.hillhousenursery.co.uk
South Devon
(remove the weeds to email me)