Squirrels are also known as tree rats, usually by people who are being overrun with them in the garden. They can seriously damage trees by ripping away the bark to eat the soft fleshy parts below. They also take out the growing tips of trees which makes them fork at the top. This is all right in the wild but not so good for the prize specimens you pay lots of money for in the garden centres.

There are two types of squirrel in Ireland, the native red squirrel and the North American grey squirrel. The grey squirrel has extended its range in Ireland, but not as quickly as England and Wales it would seem. In England the grey squirrels were introduced in the late 19th Century from several sites such as Woburn Abbey, in Bedfordshire. Throughout the last century, rates of red decline in both Scotland and Ireland have been markedly lower than in England and Wales. It is believed that this could be due to a lack of the virus in the greys in these areas, which were introduced from different sources to those carrying the virus in England. Initially people thought this was because the grey squirrels were more aggressive but recent research has proved it is more complicated than this.

Evidence suggests that grey squirrels carry the parapoxvirus virus, which is fatal to the red squirrel. Grey squirrels don't appear to succumb to infection, unlike reds, which appear to suffer 100 percent mortality in the wild. Ecologists have also pinned the grey's success on its superior ability to compete for similar nuts, insects and berries. The competitive advantage may even hinge on its habit of eating acorns, which the red is unable to utilize. Squirrels do not tend to hibernate but the red squirrel does sleep for periods. The grey squirrel remains more active and this too might be the reason for the downfall of the red. The grey squirrels not only get the bulk of the winter food but they can also eat nuts before they are even ripe, hazel in particular. Again this is something that the red squirrel cannot do. The grey also includes roots, bulbs, insects, bird’s eggs and young birds in its diet.

The advantages of all squirrels hoarding nuts are that they sometimes forget where they left them. These seeds are then left to germinate and grow to be new tree. All in all then it seems that the red squirrel is becoming a bit of an endangered species in comparison than the grey variety. If you want to entice your friendly rodents nearer the house you could put some nuts out on the patio. A word of warning though you could attract far more that just the squirrels!

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed