Red Squirrels have frequented my yard for as long as I can remember. And why not? They have lots of coniferous trees laden with seeds to feast on. Any cats we’ve ever had, have always been indoors. The squirrels have nested in birdhouses I’ve provided (for the birds) and managed to get a good share of the seed left for the birds as well.
Though Red Squirrels might be taken for granted by me and other Nova Scotians, this month, the Forestry Commission in Scotland decided to take aggressive action in ensuring the survival of its beloved Red Squirrel population. Apparently it is being threatened by the larger Grey Squirrels, introduced from the U.S. Besides an attempt at culling the Grey Squirrel population (ravenous eaters and carriers of a pox that is deadly to Red Squirrels but not the Grey), the Forestry Commission will be planting more conifer trees in some forests. Grey Squirrels, for some unknown reason, have an exclusive preference for deciduous forests. Besides nuts, from oaks especially, I wonder if their choice of territory has anything to do with the types of predators found in these two forests.
Although I haven’t noticed any Grey Squirrels in Cow Bay, that’s not to say they won’t make their way here eventually. They’ve already expanded their territory to parts of Canada where they were unknown to exist only a short time ago. But as I look out my back yard, and see all the new growth of Balsam Firs since Hurricane Juan, it seems to me that, at least in my neck of the woods, the Red Squirrels are here to stay.
November 8, 2008 at 9:39 am
Nice post. They are having the same problem with the gray squirrels in Great Britain. I don’t remember why they imported the American Gray there, but it was a mistake. Our Eurasian Red squirrls come in a variety of colors from black to Gray to Red and a combination of the various colors, but their features are mostly similar.
November 8, 2008 at 12:19 pm
The Grey Squirrel was introduced to Great Britain as a Victorian novelty in the 19th century. As they say in Nova Scotia: What a sin!
November 9, 2008 at 11:19 pm
Wow, look at that – I can even tell the difference between the squirrels!
Thank you for your very helpful information about their autumn mischief-making, and may your home remain grey squirrel-free!
November 11, 2008 at 4:53 pm
Grey squirrels have taken over the area around my home in upstate NY; whereas it was almost all reds when I was a kid. I remember my father saying something about reds and greys not co-existing, but being a kid I didn’t pay much attention.
A few weeks ago I was hiking in Pennsylvania and happened to see a red one. It took a couple minutes for me to register what I was seeing – I’ve just gotten used to all squirrels being grey.
MDW
November 11, 2008 at 7:19 pm
Forestrat, you’ve noticed a change in the squirrels. What about the trees? The Grey Squirrels almost exclusively prefer the deciduous forests. Have you noticed that there are more deciduous trees in upstate NY now than there were when you were a kid? If so, do you think global warming could be a factor?
November 12, 2008 at 6:18 am
Yes, they have been trapping the greys in great numbers here in the UK and eating them (ugh, vegetarian), even selling them at butchers! Two years ago when hiking in northern Scotland we were asked to let the rangers know how many reds we saw and not a one! The greys have definitely taken over. Sometimes I see ones here in Cambridge that look not quite red and not quite grey and wondered if they inter-breed?
November 12, 2008 at 7:50 am
Connie, they’ve been whacking Greys at such a rate in the UK that it was inevitable that they’d become table fare. They supposedly taste a bit like rabbit.
The Reds and the Greys do not interbreed as they are different species. However, Grey males will intimidate Red males and prevent them from mating with the Red females. There is quite a variety of colour among the Greys.
Some researchers at the Anglia Ruskin University in your neck of the woods have been following the activities of the Black Squirrel. Possessing higher testosterone levels, the Blacks do indeed breed with the Greys, and are threatening to overtake them due to their more aggressive, territorial behaviour.
November 16, 2008 at 11:02 am
[...] is a post at Flandrum Hill about the squirrel situation in Nova Scotia. I actually saw both red and grey squirrels around [...]