Photo-a-Day  (Thursday, 8th September, 2022)

The Squirrel looks like its wearing its winter coat, and the tree stump looks a bit greenish, so I don't think this photo was taken recently.

I love squirrels and what an intelligent little animal he looks. I would love to see a red squirrel someday.

He is certainly a fat little chap, so the pic could be taken late in the year or early spring but I wonder if that matters, he's a Wigan squirrel if he is in the park !
They are very intelligent. We put up a squirrel nut box & it took them all of 5 mins to fathom how to open it.

Irene, just get yourself a bag of nuts and a lift to Formby point, park up on the beach car park, scatter your nuts on the ground and you will see plenty of red ones.
While your there stop at Formby village, and have a route in the excellent charity shops

Tree rats. They are forever burying nuts in our lawn and eating the bird food. When we moved to Shevington years ago I thought they were cute but that very soon wore off.

Grey squirrels do look very cute, but I wouldn't like to cuddle one as they will give a nasty bite and also share a few fleas too.

I've also seen the damage they can do if they get into an attic or loft area too, and can be far worse and done in less time than any rat can do with their gnawing of electric cables, joists etc., and with scratching up into mounds the roof insulation for nesting material. The grey squirrels being omnivores are also said to be playing their part in the decline of bird populations too in that they during spring do eat birds eggs and also the chicks in the nests.

Irene, there is a red squirrel reserve at Formby, and apparently I've been the only one who hasn't seen any whenever we've been there - anyone been lucky and seen one there?

I gather Greys are being given food laden with oral contraceptive via feed stations that the Reds ( for whatever reason) cannot access .
In a few years they think the Red population will recover .

I can see I will have to go to Formby! Thanks for the information,

Isn’t that what they did to our soldiers during the war Poet?

Thankfully the lads weren't firing blanks when it mattered DT .

That’s true Poet, very true.

These grey squirrels are everywhere.No,Cyril you're not on your own,I've been to Formby and absolutely no sign of any red squirrels anywhere !

DTease, that apparently is a myth put about by the strange aftertaste of the tea, according to the article, see link, the water supplied to troops was sent in old oil drums hence the aftertaste and the scummy top layer when the tea had gone cold.

https://www.warhistoryonline.com/instant-articles/british-government-bought-tea.html?chrome=1

Poet, I'd imagine that those contraceptive laced baiting stations would be far more effective in the lowering of numbers of grey squirrels than the trapping and culling would ever be.

Seems that we were unlucky Elizabeth, if Irene goes then maybe she'll be lucky enough to see them.

Yes Cyril . I think it's an ingenious idea .