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Stop the killing of grey squirrels
I love grey squirrels, even if they do drive me mad watching them come
back and forwards like something possessed in my garden. Did anyone see autumn watch where someone may be introducing Wild Boars into The Forest Of Dean? They could have introduced a few Red Squirrels while theyre at it ;-) James http://www.ukjay.co.uk On 8 Nov, 07:58, Gloria wrote: On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:00:57 +0000, wrote: Read Professor Acorn's website www.grey-squirrel.org.uk As the funding is now being slashed for CONservation hooliganism these days, perhaps we will see a decline in the fabricated grant seeking scare stories about wildlife decline, and let Britain's diverse species and habitat be! Which would be great for the vast majority of the population who enjoy grey squirrels, ruddy ducks etc. |
Stop the killing of grey squirrels
"UkJay" wrote in message oups.com... I love grey squirrels, even if they do drive me mad watching them come back and forwards like something possessed in my garden. Did anyone see autumn watch where someone may be introducing Wild Boars into The Forest Of Dean? They could have introduced a few Red Squirrels while theyre at it ;-) James http://www.ukjay.co.uk It'd probably be a waste of time and money reintroducing red squirrels into the Forest of Dean, because they'd be unlikely to survive. Wild Boars seem to thrive in the wild in the UK as it is now, however. Hence they're likely to be condemned as pests. |
Stop the killing of grey squirrels
"UkJay" wrote in message oups.com... I love grey squirrels, even if they do drive me mad watching them come back and forwards like something possessed in my garden. Good for you, but for a large number of the damned things they are a pest which causes a lot of damage, and I always encourage anyone to kill the damned things. Did anyone see autumn watch where someone may be introducing Wild Boars into The Forest Of Dean? They could have introduced a few Red Squirrels while theyre at it ;-) I would encourage the return of the red squirrel! James http://www.ukjay.co.uk On 8 Nov, 07:58, Gloria wrote: On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:00:57 +0000, wrote: Read Professor Acorn's website www.grey-squirrel.org.uk As the funding is now being slashed for CONservation hooliganism these days, perhaps we will see a decline in the fabricated grant seeking scare stories about wildlife decline, and let Britain's diverse species and habitat be! Which would be great for the vast majority of the population who enjoy grey squirrels, ruddy ducks etc. |
Stop the killing of grey squirrels
"Alan Holmes" wrote in message ... "UkJay" wrote in message oups.com... I love grey squirrels, even if they do drive me mad watching them come back and forwards like something possessed in my garden. Good for you, but for a large number of the damned things they are a pest which causes a lot of damage, and I always encourage anyone to kill the damned things. snip I would encourage the return of the red squirrel! Ironically, when red squirrels were plentiful in the UK, they, too, were classed as vermin, and described as 'tree rats', and were the subject of organised pest control campaigns. |
Stop the killing of grey squirrels
Did anyone see autumn watch where someone may be introducing Wild Boars into The Forest Of Dean? They could have introduced a few Red Squirrels while theyre at it ;-) James http://www.ukjay.co.uk The Wild Boar have been in the Forest of Dean a few years now, they are thought to have escaped from a local heard?flock?sty? |
Stop the killing of grey squirrels
"Alan Holmes" wrote in message ... "UkJay" wrote in message oups.com... Did anyone see autumn watch where someone may be introducing Wild Boars into The Forest Of Dean? They could have introduced a few Red Squirrels while theyre at it ;-) I would encourage the return of the red squirrel! I have red squirrels in my garden, (Formby) they are so sweet, if we see a grey, we have to report it and the ranger goes and kills the nasty American pest! to see them if you live outside the northwest, go to BBC site, the Nature of Britain site, and look on the where you live section, click on the + sign just over Liverpool, and zoom in until details appear, then you can see the cute little rats with tails! |
Stop the killing of grey squirrels
On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 15:32:02 GMT, "Alan Holmes"
wrote: "UkJay" wrote in message roups.com... I love grey squirrels, even if they do drive me mad watching them come back and forwards like something possessed in my garden. Good for you, but for a large number of the damned things they are a pest which causes a lot of damage, and I always encourage anyone to kill the damned things. The same issues apply equally to reds. In fact it wasn't so long ago that they had a bounty on their heads up North and were brought almost to extinction because of it, and habitat decline. The red problems have nothing to do with the greys despite what the CONservation hooligans would tell us. Did anyone see autumn watch where someone may be introducing Wild Boars into The Forest Of Dean? They could have introduced a few Red Squirrels while theyre at it ;-) I would encourage the return of the red squirrel! It never was in the forest of dean! James http://www.ukjay.co.uk On 8 Nov, 07:58, Gloria wrote: On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:00:57 +0000, wrote: Read Professor Acorn's website www.grey-squirrel.org.uk As the funding is now being slashed for CONservation hooliganism these days, perhaps we will see a decline in the fabricated grant seeking scare stories about wildlife decline, and let Britain's diverse species and habitat be! Which would be great for the vast majority of the population who enjoy grey squirrels, ruddy ducks etc. |
Stop the killing of grey squirrels
On Thu, 8 Nov 2007 15:55:59 -0000, "BAC"
wrote: "Alan Holmes" wrote in message ... "UkJay" wrote in message oups.com... I love grey squirrels, even if they do drive me mad watching them come back and forwards like something possessed in my garden. Good for you, but for a large number of the damned things they are a pest which causes a lot of damage, and I always encourage anyone to kill the damned things. snip I would encourage the return of the red squirrel! Ironically, when red squirrels were plentiful in the UK, they, too, were classed as vermin, and described as 'tree rats', and were the subject of organised pest control campaigns. They still are by the foresters. |
Stop the killing of grey squirrels
On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 17:54:35 GMT, "Sheila"
wrote: "Alan Holmes" wrote in message ... "UkJay" wrote in message oups.com... Did anyone see autumn watch where someone may be introducing Wild Boars into The Forest Of Dean? They could have introduced a few Red Squirrels while theyre at it ;-) I would encourage the return of the red squirrel! I have red squirrels in my garden, (Formby) they are so sweet, if we see a grey, we have to report it and the ranger goes and kills the nasty American pest! Idiot! A squirrels a squirrel, but I guess some people are just so gullible! |
Stop the killing of grey squirrels
Desiderata
Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence... They are a creature of the universe, They have a right to be here. James http://www.ukjay.co.uk On 8 Nov, 15:32, "Alan Holmes" wrote: "UkJay" wrote in message oups.com... I love grey squirrels, even if they do drive me mad watching them come back and forwards like something possessed in my garden. Good for you, but for a large number of the damned things they are a pest which causes a lot of damage, and I always encourage anyone to kill the damned things. Did anyone see autumn watch where someone may be introducing Wild Boars into The Forest Of Dean? They could have introduced a few Red Squirrels while theyre at it ;-) I would encourage the return of the red squirrel! James http://www.ukjay.co.uk On 8 Nov, 07:58, Gloria wrote: On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:00:57 +0000, wrote: Read Professor Acorn's website www.grey-squirrel.org.uk As the funding is now being slashed for CONservation hooliganism these days, perhaps we will see a decline in the fabricated grant seeking scare stories about wildlife decline, and let Britain's diverse species and habitat be! Which would be great for the vast majority of the population who enjoy grey squirrels, ruddy ducks etc.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - |
Stop the killing of grey squirrels
On Fri, 09 Nov 2007 08:18:06 -0000, UkJay wrote:
Desiderata Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence... They are a creature of the universe, They have a right to be here. Classic song. On 8 Nov, 15:32, "Alan Holmes" wrote: "UkJay" wrote in message oups.com... I love grey squirrels, even if they do drive me mad watching them come back and forwards like something possessed in my garden. Good for you, but for a large number of the damned things they are a pest which causes a lot of damage, and I always encourage anyone to kill the damned things. Did anyone see autumn watch where someone may be introducing Wild Boars into The Forest Of Dean? They could have introduced a few Red Squirrels while theyre at it ;-) I would encourage the return of the red squirrel! James http://www.ukjay.co.uk On 8 Nov, 07:58, Gloria wrote: On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:00:57 +0000, wrote: Read Professor Acorn's website www.grey-squirrel.org.uk As the funding is now being slashed for CONservation hooliganism these days, perhaps we will see a decline in the fabricated grant seeking scare stories about wildlife decline, and let Britain's diverse species and habitat be! Which would be great for the vast majority of the population who enjoy grey squirrels, ruddy ducks etc.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - |
Stop the killing of grey squirrels
"UkJay" wrote in message oups.com... Desiderata Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence... They are a creature of the universe, They have a right to be here. They do not have the right to kill other creatures and cause so much damage! James http://www.ukjay.co.uk On 8 Nov, 15:32, "Alan Holmes" wrote: "UkJay" wrote in message oups.com... I love grey squirrels, even if they do drive me mad watching them come back and forwards like something possessed in my garden. Good for you, but for a large number of the damned things they are a pest which causes a lot of damage, and I always encourage anyone to kill the damned things. Did anyone see autumn watch where someone may be introducing Wild Boars into The Forest Of Dean? They could have introduced a few Red Squirrels while theyre at it ;-) I would encourage the return of the red squirrel! James http://www.ukjay.co.uk On 8 Nov, 07:58, Gloria wrote: On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:00:57 +0000, wrote: Read Professor Acorn's website www.grey-squirrel.org.uk As the funding is now being slashed for CONservation hooliganism these days, perhaps we will see a decline in the fabricated grant seeking scare stories about wildlife decline, and let Britain's diverse species and habitat be! Which would be great for the vast majority of the population who enjoy grey squirrels, ruddy ducks etc.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - |
Stop the killing of grey squirrels
On Fri, 09 Nov 2007 12:48:16 GMT, "Alan Holmes"
wrote: "UkJay" wrote in message roups.com... Desiderata Go placidly amid the noise and the haste, and remember what peace there may be in silence... They are a creature of the universe, They have a right to be here. They do not have the right to kill other creatures and cause so much damage! No more so than us! James http://www.ukjay.co.uk On 8 Nov, 15:32, "Alan Holmes" wrote: "UkJay" wrote in message oups.com... I love grey squirrels, even if they do drive me mad watching them come back and forwards like something possessed in my garden. Good for you, but for a large number of the damned things they are a pest which causes a lot of damage, and I always encourage anyone to kill the damned things. Did anyone see autumn watch where someone may be introducing Wild Boars into The Forest Of Dean? They could have introduced a few Red Squirrels while theyre at it ;-) I would encourage the return of the red squirrel! James http://www.ukjay.co.uk On 8 Nov, 07:58, Gloria wrote: On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 00:00:57 +0000, wrote: Read Professor Acorn's website www.grey-squirrel.org.uk As the funding is now being slashed for CONservation hooliganism these days, perhaps we will see a decline in the fabricated grant seeking scare stories about wildlife decline, and let Britain's diverse species and habitat be! Which would be great for the vast majority of the population who enjoy grey squirrels, ruddy ducks etc.- Hide quoted text - - Show quoted text - |
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Stop the killing of grey squirrels
"Granity" wrote in message ... Stop the killing of grey squirrels Why? They make good paté I've never found one with enough meat on it to bother skinning it! |
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We have no compunction about keeping rats and pigeons off our property, by destructive means where appropriate, why not grey squirrels? Granity says squirrel is tasty, I don't know, but woodpigeon is certainly very tasty. Round where I live, introduced squirrels are less of a problem, but introduced rabbits and introduced fat dormice (Glis glis) are both problems. Rabbits eat my veg and certain flowers unless I protect them. Even been known to take bamboo shoots. We have no compunction about shooting rabbits to eat them, or as pests. Apparently in Spain, where they are native, they now have a shortage of rabbits because of deliberately introduced diseases, and this is the main cause of the reduction of the Iberian lynx, now the rarest wild cat, because the Iberian lynx is a rabbit specialist. Perhaps we should introduce the iberian lynx to Britain. We used to have lynx, and many people think the Iberian lynx is just a sub-species. A rabbit eating specialist lynx shouldn't be too much of a problem here. The eagle owl appears to have reintroduced itself here, whether by escape or flying here isn't clear, and is not proving a problem precisely becaues it is a rabbit specialist. Unfortunately not too many rocky cliffs for them to nest on in Buckinghamshire. The situation concerning fat dormice is curious. They are a problem in the house rather than the garden. Because they are classified by the EU as endangered (which they are in their native habitat), you can't just trap them (even though they aren't native or endangered here). And if you use live traps, because they are non-native you can't just release them back into the wild. Bizarrely, this latter restriction doesn't attach to rabbits, even though they are just as non-native. So you have to get the council around to catch them who then take them away. I used to think the council must have a large shed full of dormice waiting for them to die of old age, but I now konw that they "humanely destroy" them. Quite why they are allowed to "humanely destroy" when I'm not allowed to destructively trap them for myself is utterly bizarre. Actually because they are rather cute, I'd rather like to see one, but I never have, even though they are supposed to be locally very common. Also odd that they don't seem to spread very much. There really is no answer to this one. I love seeing the introduced parakeets we now have in much of the south-east, although they haven't got to our area yet. Maybe we'll be seeing them as a nuisance in a few more decades. |
Stop the killing of grey squirrels
"echinosum" wrote in message ... UkJay;758711 Wrote: snip A rabbit eating specialist lynx shouldn't be too much of a problem here. The eagle owl appears to have reintroduced itself here, whether by escape or flying here isn't clear, and is not proving a problem precisely becaues it is a rabbit specialist. Unfortunately not too many rocky cliffs for them to nest on in Buckinghamshire. The Eagle Owl is not a 'rabbit specialist', although, obviously, it will take them if available. Eagle Owls on the continent have even been known to take buzzards, which prey extensively on rabbits. There are probably plenty of artificial cliffs (tall buildings, churches, etc.) in Buckinghamshire :-) |
Stop the killing of grey squirrels
On Nov 9, 7:47 am, echinosum
wrote: UkJay;758711 Wrote: I love grey squirrels, even if they do drive me mad My parents are driven mad by them eating all the fruit they grow. They used to be able to grow msny apples, plums, strawberries, etc, etc, in their large garden but with the increase in squirrel numbers it is just a waste of time. They strip every fruit and every berry. Even attempts to net fruit trees, or build chickenwire cages around the berry bushes have been a waste of time, they are always clever enough to get in. We have no compunction about keeping rats and pigeons off our property, by destructive means where appropriate, why not grey squirrels? Granity says squirrel is tasty, I don't know, but woodpigeon is certainly very tasty. Round where I live, introduced squirrels are less of a problem, but introduced rabbits and introduced fat dormice (Glis glis) are both problems. Rabbits eat my veg and certain flowers unless I protect them. Even been known to take bamboo shoots. We have no compunction about shooting rabbits to eat them, or as pests. Apparently in Spain, where they are native, they now have a shortage of rabbits because of deliberately introduced diseases, and this is the main cause of the reduction of the Iberian lynx, now the rarest wild cat, because the Iberian lynx is a rabbit specialist. Perhaps we should introduce the iberian lynx to Britain. We used to have lynx, and many people think the Iberian lynx is just a sub-species. A rabbit eating specialist lynx shouldn't be too much of a problem here. The eagle owl appears to have reintroduced itself here, whether by escape or flying here isn't clear, and is not proving a problem precisely becaues it is a rabbit specialist. Unfortunately not too many rocky cliffs for them to nest on in Buckinghamshire. The situation concerning fat dormice is curious. They are a problem in the house rather than the garden. Because they are classified by the EU as endangered (which they are in their native habitat), you can't just trap them (even though they aren't native or endangered here). And if you use live traps, because they are non-native you can't just release them back into the wild. Bizarrely, this latter restriction doesn't attach to rabbits, even though they are just as non-native. So you have to get the council around to catch them who then take them away. I used to think the council must have a large shed full of dormice waiting for them to die of old age, but I now konw that they "humanely destroy" them. Quite why they are allowed to "humanely destroy" when I'm not allowed to destructively trap them for myself is utterly bizarre. Actually because they are rather cute, I'd rather like to see one, but I never have, even though they are supposed to be locally very common. Also odd that they don't seem to spread very much. There really is no answer to this one. I love seeing the introduced parakeets we now have in much of the south-east, although they haven't got to our area yet. Maybe we'll be seeing them as a nuisance in a few more decades. -- echinosum For household undesirables such as rats or cockroaches one might use a broad-band spray, or simply hook a hose to a car exhaust and flood the (well sealed) residence with Carbon Monoxide for 20 minutes or so. If there were any dormice... well, sorry, but they weren't supposed to be there. For gray squirrels (which make an excellent stew I'm told), house- cats, unless they are overfed, will exercise their hunting skills on gray squirrels. However if you have a large infestation it is necessary to interrupt their ease-of-breeding: Fill/cover tree knot holes with cement, rip down any bird boxes which squirrels have invaded, and hire a few 12-year-olds to climb and "trim trees" wherever squirrels have built a nest out on a branch. This is the best time of year: as trees lose their foliage, the nests stick out like sore thumbs: Largish "Clumps" of dead leaves about 2/3ds way out on slender branches. Just trim those branches. (And demolish the nests before they can be used to raise new squirrels.) When their numbers drop below a certain minimum they will become too paranoid to spend time on the ground. And your veggies will be safe. |
Stop the killing of grey squirrels
"echinosum" wrote in message ... UkJay;758711 Wrote: I love grey squirrels, even if they do drive me mad My parents are driven mad by them eating all the fruit they grow. They used to be able to grow msny apples, plums, strawberries, etc, etc, in their large garden but with the increase in squirrel numbers it is just a waste of time. They strip every fruit and every berry. Even attempts to net fruit trees, or build chickenwire cages around the berry bushes have been a waste of time, they are always clever enough to get in. We have no compunction about keeping rats and pigeons off our property, by destructive means where appropriate, why not grey squirrels? Granity says squirrel is tasty, I don't know, but woodpigeon is certainly very tasty. Stuff deleted:- There really is no answer to this one. I love seeing the introduced parakeets we now have in much of the south-east, although they haven't got to our area yet. Maybe we'll be seeing them as a nuisance in a few more decades. The parakeets here are a bloody nuisance, they destroy my apples and make a hell of a lot of noise, as well as damaging my vegetables, so if anyone knows how to kill the damned things please let me know! -- echinosum |
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Buzzards and red kites are extending their range into our area, though so far I've only seen the latter in the immediate vicinity. Perhaps I don't need to hope for lynxes and eagle owls to deal with our local rabbit plague after all, though they'd be more fun. |
Stop the killing of grey squirrels
"echinosum" wrote in message ... BAC;759021 Wrote: "The Eagle Owl is not a 'rabbit specialist', although, obviously, it will take them if available. Eagle Owls on the continent have even been known to take buzzards, which prey extensively on rabbits. I was going on the fact that an analysis of the droppings of the Yorkshire eagle owls showed them to be eating 99% rabbit. It is true some studies suggest Eagle Owls prefer rabbits to any other prey, e.g. Hume 1991. However, other studies suggest they feed extensively on birds, e.g. Bochenski et al 1993, with Everett 1977 finding that 83% by weight of the prey of the Eagle Owls studied was avian. I suppose it depends on what is available. Eagle Owls are opportunistic predators which can and will take mammals up to the size of a fox, and birds, especially birds of prey, up to the size of buzzards. They are particularly good at preying on other raptors, including other owls, goshawks, sparrowhawks, harriers and peregrines, and will take them routinely. References :- Bochenski, Z., Tomek, T., Boev, Z. & Mitev, I. 1993. Patterns of bird bone fragmentary in pellets of the Tawny owl (Strix aluco) and the Eagle owl (Bubo bubo) and their taphonomic implications. Acta zool. cracov. 36, 313-328. Erritzoe, J. & Fuller, R. 1998. Sex differences in winter distribution of Long-eared owls (Asio otus) in Denmark and neighbouring countries. Vogelwarte 40, 80-87. Everett, M. 1977. A Natural History of Owls. Hamlyn, London. Giles, J. 2006. Bird lovers keep sharp eye on owls. Nature 439, 127. Harrison, C. J. O. 1979. Birds of the Cromer Forest Bed series of the East Anglian Pleistocene. Transactions of the Norfolk and Norwich Naturalists' Society 24, 277-286. Harrison, C. J. O. 1987. Pleistocene and prehistoric birds of south-west Britain. Proceedings of the University of Bristol Spelaeology Society 18, 81-104. Hume, R. 1997. Owls of the World. Parkgate Books, London. Stuart, A. J. 1974. Pleistocene history of the British vertebrate fauna. Biological Reviews 49, 225-266. I suppose actually given that they are reasonably common in places like Norway, they must be able to eat things other than rabbit. Once they have eaten Yorkshire out of rabbits (some hope), then I suppose they would move on to something else. Yorkshire terriers would be good. Yorkshire terriers would indeed be good prey for a hungry Eagle Owl. Buzzards and red kites are extending their range into our area, though so far I've only seen the latter in the immediate vicinity. Perhaps I don't need to hope for lynxes and eagle owls to deal with our local rabbit plague after all, though they'd be more fun. Personally, I'd not mind having lynx and eagle owls about, but you have to bear in mind that they'd not confine themselves to eating things some people might wish them to eat and might happily tuck in to critturs other people are trying to conserve, too. |
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