What do you think about Grey Squirrels?

[Output]

Despite what may be implied by my self-given user title and avatar, I don't really think about squirrels at all as I never come into contact with any (other than seeing one or two YouTube videos of drunk squirrels in the past), and the most I was aware of was a vague knowledge that the greys are apparently pests.

[peterb]

I guess the thread title gives sufficient excuse for this...

https://youtu.be/wL-NNWoblxI

[Zak33]

The grey squirrels where I am, appear to be grey-red hybrids. Grey with a reddish face and a red streak down their backs. Last time I saw a pure red squirrel, was in Wales a couple of years ago.

no.. greys have red on them

they cant cross breed

[Zak33]

They're better than our local black squirrels.

Cambridgeshire? that's where I've seen blacks.. they're big tough hormonal things....

[tepo]

My parents have nice a red squirrel who visitis around this timr every year, never seen a grey here apart from the US ..

[Moby-Dick]

Well, I don't like sitting on the fence...

I feel the same way about urban foxes too, except they probably wouldn't be good to eat.

My thoughts exactly - I've lost £200 worth of chickens to one of them.

[Spreadie]

Squirrel trolling a dog

[wazzickle]

Don't really think about them very often, my dog loves them in any colour though.

[tepo]

My thoughts exactly - I've lost £200 worth of chickens to one of them.

Are you saying they were workng together?

[sammyc]

Default mode: we are the pests &c &c
I have a grey setting up home or maybe 2nd home in my garden as we speak (on account of it being an actual garden and not hermetically sealed & plastic-grassed). Fine by me, & I'm sure it's as rightly indifferent to my perceived prettiness niceness or entertainment value as I am to its.

[Zak33]

Well Hexus. I'm impressed.

Impressed by the knowledge and understanding. You're a very widely read posse....your knowledge and broadminded nature are a credit to you all.

The reason I asked this was a very personal one....grey squirrels eat my trees. More accurately they tear the,bark from my beech trees and lick the sap. And that can lead to dead or weak trees.

Last year there was a LOT of greys. I culled a,lot. I'm an air rifle hunter but also a shotgun shooter. Dak (member here) and I have run some grey squirrel cull days at a small holding that he pest controls and throughout 2015 there were masses.

But this year the numbers have dropper, both in.my woodland and in others including that small holding.

Red squirrels catch a pox from greys. Greys aren't affected by it but it kills the reds in a horrible way. But as I don't gave reds...I'm just protecting my trees.

The post earlier about hunting them is correct...they are vermin but you must have permission to shoot on the land and squirrels are tough. Accuracy is paramount. Head shots are risky unless you're very confident and accurate because the brain is,small the head is,large and it's too easy to maim...jaw off....nose destroyed...but not dead.
Heart and lung shot is other option but I digress and that's not what I asked about.

Thank you all for your balanced views.

If while you're walking in beech trees you see the bark ripper off....its orange behind for a few hours so looks like orange peel on thr floor...then darkens...you know what you're looking at.

Some of my beech trees are mangled. They're alive but twisted and weak.

Any other knowledge...place it here please.

Experiences with greys. What they like to eat in your garden etc.

I'm.building a good understanding of them.

[Spreadie]

Greys force Reds out of their habitat too.

We have a lot of Reds on the island but little to no Greys - I think there is still a law in place preventing people from bringing Greys here.

[Zak33]

Greys force Reds out of their habitat too.

they die bud.. it's not a case of being chased out... its a horrible disease, where their eyelids grow huge sores

Greys are immune.. no known red has ever developed the immunity.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Squirrel_parapoxvirus
http://www.forestry.gov.uk/pdf/ukrsg...ce_note_E1.pdf

[g8ina]

Kill em, kill em all.

[The Hand]

no.. greys have red on them

they cant cross breed

I found this thread on a bird watching forum with someone in my region (Lincs) who snapped a grey-red squirrel:

http://www.birdforum.net/showthread.php?t=97013



The grey-reds in my immediate area, have a slightly more pronounced red streak down it's back in comparison to the above. It's probably a result of successive generations local/regional inbreeding in the east English midland area, that is producing this particular variant.

[virtuo]

I was in a local garden centre/mini nature spot this weekend and saw the biggest (grey with red bits) squirrel I have ever seen - it was like a cat with bear claws - just sat in a hanging bird feeder. I startled it taking pictures, could probably have caught it on foot it was that slow.

Related waffle, carry on