Grey Squirrels: Pest or Pleasure?

When you hear the words grey squirrel it can be quite a decisive moment. I have found people tend to fall into two categories with these much maligned and misunderstood animals. Either they shudder, cry out in despair, run for the nearest implement to hurl at them or think of them as cute little grey eating machines with a big bushy tail and lots of funny twitches! Often seen as a pest, since their introduction into the UK they have bred, and bred, and bred some more! In fact their growth and spread around the UK has been quite prolific and their shear numbers reflect this. There are now around 2.5 million of them, compare this with around 160,000 red squirrels and you can see what our native breed is up against.

I feel that one of the reasons why the grey squirrel is so misunderstood, and at times, disliked, is because of their insatiable appetite. They can devour as much as 1kg of food per day and perhaps more if given the opportunity. Our gardens are a constant attraction with all the feed we put out for the birds and these very feeds are also, often, a particular favourite to our friend (or enemy) the grey squirrel. Their diets are incredibly varied and it never ceases to amaze me just what they do and will eat. Just the other morning I witnessed one of our squirrels enjoying a clematis bud which was in full flower! This was a first and not something I ever expected to see! Common favourite food items for the grey squirrels include acorns (green or ripened), bulbs, tree roots, bird seed, peanuts, suet, apples, fungi and much, much more besides.



Grey Squirrel Drinking from Bird Bath


I am fortunate enough to live on the edge of some local woods and a country park (it is not quite as luxurious as it might sound!), and our home is still very much part of an urban estate. But as a result of being so close to the woods and park our garden is frequented by a number of grey squirrels. In fact, they often make a drey and breed in the old oak tree that resides at the bottom of the garden.

At times though, I too have found myself getting frustrated by the squirrels veracious feeding habits, as they were getting through quite an astonishing amount of bird food and were costing me a small fortune! So, I decided I needed to do something about it and after a bit of research, a bit of experimentation (not always successful) and a few well spent pounds later, I have finally managed to be in a position where I can still feed the birds regularly (without fear of the food being gone in a day) and enjoy the antics that our squirrels get up to on a daily basis!

Grey squirrels are nothing if not characters and I for one really do admire their amazing dexterity, their intelligence and their unwavering determination. Set them a challenge to access food and they will nearly always figure it out. Quite remarkable an achievement for such a small animal.

With their numbers clearly far exceeding those of the red squirrel, should a cull be considered and carried out? This is a controversial subject as you could argue that it is not the squirrels fault that it is so successful. It is just doing what comes naturally! However, I do feel there are times when we (humans) do need to intervene, especially if it is to the advantage of another species, the red squirrel in this case. I don't feel killing animals should be done for the sake of it, in fact I am very much anti this, but I do understand that at times there is a requirement and perhaps now might be the right time for the greys to undergo a cull. The red deer are culled, as large numbers of these animals can be extremely detrimental to the vegetation and woodlands, so why not the grey squirrels. I would rather the number of grey squirrels be reduced, than say the red squirrels become extinct, or the badgers be culled (which is another very controversial subject!). It is a difficult one and one which I hope the experts will resolve at some point.

Grey Squirrel Tempted by Apple


As much as I do like and admire the grey squirrel, nothing would make me happier than seeing our delightful and very beautiful native red squirrel being re-introduced Nottinghamshire countryside and forestry. I feel with all of our splendid woodland and flourishing oak trees, our county should be right up there as a candidate. We'll see what the future holds on this but without a dramatic reduction in grey squirrel numbers it would be very difficult to see how the reds could become re-established.

As mentioned earlier, grey squirrels like to eat and chew, so how do I now prevent them from devouring all of my bird feed. Well after a number of unsuccessful attempts and purchases of (supposedly) squirrel proof feeders I found that a free standing bird station with an upside down plastic dome works brilliantly (see picture below). However, there are a couple of things you'll need to bare in mind before purchasing and positioning your station. You will need to ensure it is well placed and at least six feet away from any trees, fences, walls, posts, bushes etc. This is because the grey squirrels  have an incredible leap to them and can jump as far as five feet. So, as you can imagine with this ability it will only be to easy for them to access your feeders and precious bird food. Sounds simple enough, but in smaller gardens this can be a quite a challenge, especially while still trying to keep the wife on your side! I promise you though it does works a treat and enables you to have hours of amusement watching the squirrels trying to work out a way around it, which they cannot do and is all very perplexing to them!


Effective Squirrel Deterrent