Squirrel cull



On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 20:40:28 -0000, Fran
<[email protected]> wrote:

>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.)

Judith
 
On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 16:20:51 -0000, "Craven" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>
>"druidh" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>news:[email protected]...
>> They've got black ones in Canada (or is it just the air quality in
>> Toronto?)
>
>Black squirrels are a variety of the eastern grey squirrel, Sciurus
>carolinensis

They change colour in the summer, a bit like hares?? as they migrate
north. It doesn't happen here but I have seen them black in New
England.

AJH
 
In message <[email protected]>, AndyP
<[email protected]> writes
>"Alan Holmes" <[email protected]> wrote
>
>> You are very lucky to have any red squirrels, they dissapeared from teh
>> south east many years ago.
>>
>> I wouldn't worry about what happens after you return the traps, as long as
>> the damned things get killed, that is all that matters.
>>
>> I'm glad to see, at long last, someone is trying to do something about the
>> problem.
>>
>> What is really sad is the number of idiots who see them as cuddly sweet
>> things!
>
>What, red ones are cute and cuddly but grey ones aren't? Isn't that
>slightly racist? How about spraying the grey ones red rather than killing
>them?

What colour would you like? Shall we spray them red and make believe?
>
>

--
Surfer!
Email to: ramwater at uk2 dot net
 
[email protected] said...
> On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 20:40:28 -0000, Fran
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >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...]

--
To reply see 'from' in headers; lose the domain, and insert dots and @
where common sense dictates.
 
In article <[email protected]>, W. D. Grey
<[email protected]> writes
>In article <[email protected]>, Phil Cook
><[email protected]> writes
>>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.

--
Malcolm
 
"Malcolm" <[email protected]> wrote

> >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

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.
 
Fran wrote:

>[email protected] said...
>> On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 20:40:28 -0000, Fran
>> <[email protected]> wrote:
>>
>> >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.

>> 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.

>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"
 
Following up to Fran

>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
 
"The Reid" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Following up to Fran
>
>>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.

House Sparrows have never been classed as vermin.
 
"Craven" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "The Reid" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> Following up to Fran
>>
>>>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.
>
> House Sparrows have never been classed as vermin.


Oops!!!!! Wrong
 
Following up to Craven

>>> 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 protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Mark Thompson <[email protected]> wrote
>>> 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?.......
>
>>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.

Well they steal my nuts!

Alan

> --
> Gordon Harris
 
"Fran" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [email protected] said...
>> >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

> --
> To reply see 'from' in headers; lose the domain, and insert dots and @
> where common sense dictates.
 
"W. D. Grey" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> In article <[email protected]>, Fran
> <[email protected]> writes
>>> 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.
>
> These Squirrels are just rats with bushy tails.

That is almost an insult to rats!:)-)

Alan

> --
> Bill Grey
> http://www.billboy.co.uk
 
"Malcolm" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> In article <[email protected]>, W. D. Grey
> <[email protected]> writes
>>In article <[email protected]>, Phil Cook
>><[email protected]> writes
>>>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!

Alan

>
> --
> Malcolm
 
"Gordon Burns" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Alan Holmes" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>> 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.

Alan

>
>
 
"AndyP" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> "Alan Holmes" <[email protected]> wrote
>
>> You are very lucky to have any red squirrels, they dissapeared from teh
>> south east many years ago.
>>
>> I wouldn't worry about what happens after you return the traps, as long
>> as
>> the damned things get killed, that is all that matters.
>>
>> I'm glad to see, at long last, someone is trying to do something about
>> the
>> problem.
>>
>> What is really sad is the number of idiots who see them as cuddly sweet
>> things!
>
> What, red ones are cute and cuddly but grey ones aren't? Isn't that
> slightly racist? How about spraying the grey ones red rather than killing
> them?

That won't stop the buggers stealing my nuts!

Alan

>
>
 
"Fran" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> [email protected] said...
>> 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

> --
> To reply see 'from' in headers; lose the domain, and insert dots and @
> where common sense dictates.
 
On Mon, 23 Jan 2006 18:47:09 -0000, "Paul Cummings"
<[email protected]> wrote:

>(Of course, being British, I shall merely
>> mutter under my breath and hope she doesn't hear me.)
>
>You're out of date. The way British people now react is to kick the *&%$£
>out of someone, whilst having a mate film it on your (stolen) mobile phone.

Sadly, I think you may be right.

Judith
 
"Malcolm" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> In article <[email protected]>, Geoff Berrow
> <[email protected]> writes
>>Message-ID: <[email protected]> from Alan
>>Holmes contained the following:
>>
>>>What is really sad is the number of idiots who see them as cuddly sweet
>>>things!
>>
>>
>>They are.
>>
>>Why take it out on the squirrel? It's only doing what it evolved to do.
>>
> Yes, but it's doing what it evolved to do in North America, not the UK.
>
>>Man, on the other hand, ought to know better.
>
> Should have known better than introduce it.

Like the idiot who released damned parakeets in this area.

Alan

>
> --
> Malcolm
 
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