If you really want another rat, there's a ghastly feathered one that I absolutely loathe - the pigeon. Ick, horrible things.
AOL.
I nearly had to run over a woman today. I have seen her around before. She has a couple of plastic shopping bags from which she scatters handfuls of (what looks like) seed for the pigeons. Is she MAD? OK, I have made up my mind; she /is/ mad and I'm going to remonstrate with her. (Of course, being British, I shall merely mutter under my breath and hope she doesn't hear me.)
If you really want another rat, there's a ghastly feathered one that I absolutely loathe - the pigeon. Ick, horrible things.
AOL.
I nearly had to run over a woman today. I have seen her around before. She has a couple of plastic shopping bags from which she scatters handfuls of (what looks like) seed for the pigeons. Is she MAD? OK, I have made up my mind; she /is/ mad and I'm going to remonstrate with her. (Of course, being British, I shall merely mutter under my breath and hope she doesn't hear me.)
It's all the fault of that Poppins. Feed the birds, she says, I'll give 'er 'feed the birds', bleedin' sparrers and pidgins, that's what they is. Feed the birds indeed, I'll flamin' feed /her/ to the birds that's what /I'd/ do. And just *look* at the mess they make an' [...NO CARRIER...]
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In article <[email hidden]>, W. D. Grey <[email hidden]> writes
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In article <[email hidden]>, Phil Cook <[email hidden]> writes
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The reds are just as clever. It's just that the greys are bigger and can eat under-ripe nuts. In the LDNP they have feeders for reds that tip the heavier greys off.
A feeder was designed so that the Reds could feed but the Greys couldn't.
The Grey being 5 times as heavy as a Red would cause the feeder platform to descend, shutting off the food supply. The Red would be too light to lower the platform and thus enable it to feed unhindered.
Err, not as much as 5 times.
According to the Handbook of British Mammals:
Red Squirrel: 230-435g
Grey Squirrel: 350-705g
Those are for adults. There is little apparent difference between the sexes but some regional variation.
The Grey being 5 times as heavy as a Red would cause the feeder platform to descend, shutting off the food supply. The Red would be too light to lower the platform and thus enable it to feed unhindered.
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Err, not as much as 5 times. According to the Handbook of British Mammals: Red Squirrel: 230-435g Grey Squirrel: 350-705g
So not only are they discriminating on the basis of colour and poisoning any squirrel which isn't a fetching shade of red, they're also discriminating on the basis of size and not giving out free meals to those poor red squirrels who happen to be a bit on the podgy side. Scandalous.
If you really want another rat, there's a ghastly feathered one that I absolutely loathe - the pigeon. Ick, horrible things.
Those feral rock doves you find in towns, yes. Woodies are quite cute.
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I nearly had to run over a woman today. I have seen her around before. She has a couple of plastic shopping bags from which she scatters handfuls of (what looks like) seed for the pigeons.
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It's all the fault of that Poppins. Feed the birds, she says.... <snip rant> [...NO CARRIER...]
<GROAN> No carrier indeed! It must have been got by a peregrine :-) -- Phil Cook looking north over the park to the "Westminster Gasworks"
Feed the birds, she says, I'll give 'er 'feed the birds', bleedin' sparrers and pidgins, that's what they is. Feed the birds indeed,
of course house sparrows are becoming rare, so pass from vermin to protected icon of the past any time about now. -- Mike Reid Walk-eat-photos UK "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site Walk-eat-photos Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap
of course house sparrows are becoming rare, so pass from vermin to protected icon of the past any time about now.
House Sparrows have never been classed as vermin.
Oops!!!!! Wrong
I didnt know myself, its pretty subjective! -- Mike Reid Walk-eat-photos UK "http://www.fellwalk.co.uk" <-- you can email us@ this site Walk-eat-photos Spain "http://www.fell-walker.co.uk" <-- dontuse@ all, it's a spamtrap
"Gordon" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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Mark Thompson <[email hidden]> wrote
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What is really sad is the number of idiots who see them as cuddly sweet things!
Well, they _look_ cuddly and sweet.
And clever, judging by the obstacle courses they have mastered to get to the nuts! Maybe if the prettier red squirrels weren't so dumb?.......
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About the cull, it'll delay the spread of the greys for a few years or more but will have bugger all permanent impact unless people use the time gained to increase the habitats that suit Reds over the Greys. Doing anything else is just like stamping on ants.
I don't see the point of culling other than in areas where they threaten red squirrel habitats, or where excessive damage is being dome to trees.
"Fran" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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[email hidden] said...
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About the cull, it'll delay the spread of the greys for a few years or more but will have bugger all permanent impact unless people use the time gained to increase the habitats that suit Reds over the Greys. Doing anything else is just like stamping on ants.
I don't see the point of culling other than in areas where they threaten red squirrel habitats, or where excessive damage is being dome to trees.
Neither do I, to be honest, unless 'they' are considering reintroducing red squirrels to those areas.
They destroy birds as well, steal the eggs from the nests.
Alan
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-- To reply see 'from' in headers; lose the domain, and insert dots and @ where common sense dictates.
"W. D. Grey" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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In article <[email hidden]>, Fran <[email hidden]> writes
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I don't see the point of culling other than in areas where they threaten red squirrel habitats, or where excessive damage is being dome to trees.
Neither do I, to be honest, unless 'they' are considering reintroducing red squirrels to those areas.
Grey squirrels do a tremendous amount of damage by raiding birds nests in the spring robbing out a whole hedgerow in one fell swoop. It's not only the Red squirrels that need conservation it's the birds as well.
"Malcolm" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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In article <[email hidden]>, W. D. Grey <[email hidden]> writes
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In article <[email hidden]>, Phil Cook <[email hidden]> writes
Quoted message said:
The reds are just as clever. It's just that the greys are bigger and can eat under-ripe nuts. In the LDNP they have feeders for reds that tip the heavier greys off.
A feeder was designed so that the Reds could feed but the Greys couldn't.
The Grey being 5 times as heavy as a Red would cause the feeder platform to descend, shutting off the food supply. The Red would be too light to lower the platform and thus enable it to feed unhindered.
Err, not as much as 5 times.
According to the Handbook of British Mammals:
Red Squirrel: 230-435g
Grey Squirrel: 350-705g
Those are for adults. There is little apparent difference between the sexes but some regional variation.
I prefer to kill the females, not that I've anyting aginst women, but for ever female squirrel you kill, you have robbed the world of several thousand!
"Gordon Burns" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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"Alan Holmes" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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What is really sad is the number of idiots who see them as cuddly sweet things!
Alan
They'll be the same people who think that foxes are cuddly lovable animals. They've never been inside a chicken run when a fox has kiled 30 birds just for the taste of blood, and then eaten just half of one. Mostly townies I suspect. They should be culled as well!
I agree, but they can be useful, when I have a dead squirrel I just leave it out and the fox takes it away.
"Fran" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:[email hidden]...
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[email hidden] said...
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A cull is needed, but it's not something to cheer about. Just hope it works.
Note the word 'cull', though. No one's planning to wipe out the grey squirrel (they'd better not try), but in those areas where there are still reds it would be wonderful to see them thriving instead of being pushed out more and more by the greys.
Of course, you could also argue that the squirrel's main enemy is the Forestry Commission...
Or you could say that the Forestry Commissionions main enemy is the squirrel!
Alan
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