Alan Holmes wrote:
On the instructions of SWMBO, went to a local garden centre,
whilst SWMBO was doing her investigation of the shrubs, I
looked at the accessories, and I was horrified to find a
Squirrel Feeder!

Surely it must be illegal to sell something designed to
encourage vermin.

At the risk of being flamed, grey squirrels aren't vermin. Chambers defines
vermin as "a collective name for wild animals that spread disease or
generally cause a nuisance..." Yes, when they were first introduced (for
which we have the Victorians to thank - or blame, depending on your point of
view) the carried a disease (the name of which I cannot recall) which
decimated the red population. These days, the greys are no longer carriers
and reds have developed immunity. The main issue these days is habitat, but
even that isn't so much of an issue as reds prefer coniferous forest (as
pine seeds form a large part of their diet) and greys broadleaved woodland.
I am of the firm belief that, if the greys are managed, there is no reason
why the two species cannot live in harmony.

Besides, these days, 'vermin' is a very subjective issue. Many consider
foxes and badgers vermin; I do not. Whether badgers carry bovine TB is still
very much open to debate - there has been no firm evidence to prove their
guilt.

And, as has been stated, some consider the domestic cat vermin. I, as a
felinophile, again do not. They cause very little nuisance and they
certainly do not carry disease (some are still labouring under the
misapprehension that foxes carry rabies - they do not). TTBOMK, there hasn't
been a rabid fox in Britain for nearly a century.

I have two squirrel feeders in my garden. And no, it isn't vermin - they are
neither a nuisance, nor do they carry disease. The only charge that can be
levelled at the grey squirrel is that they are partial to birds' eggs; but,
unless someone with more knowledge than I corrects me, I do not believe that
they have had a significant impact on the avian population of these islands
(besides, reds eat birds' eggs too, as do hedgehogs and quite a few members
of the weasel family).

So, live and let live, I say. Bullfinches were considered vermin (yes, I
know the term is associated with mammals, but there is no reason why it
can't also apply to birds) because they had a taste for fruit tree blossom,
but I haven't seen a bullfinch in my garden now for, well it must be getting
on towards a decade and I would welcome their return; they are considered
endangered by the RSPB (as are starlings and house sparrows).


--
In memory of MS MVP Alex Nichol: http://www.dts-l.org/