Damned rodents around here, war has been declared

[JohnRoberts]

Seems we're on someone's unwanted list...

you didn't miss anything..

===

I think my squirrels must be attending some out of town convention this weekend... I haven't seen one since friday morning and he was exiting my yard with great haste due to a near miss from a .177 cal pellet.

Either I'm running out of pecans to eat, or squirrels to eat them, but I doubt either is likely... For now I am appreciating the calm.

Pecans still not ripe yet... a couple more weeks to hold off the marauders.

JR

 

[PRR]

Ha! We don't want Europeans to see our swimming squirrels!

Actually, at first I thought it was an oversight. The link is supported by a small newspaper in the woods of Maine. Amazon CloudFront must have a huge list of settings, maybe they missed it, and nobody complained.

But thinking more: Amazon probably charges by what areas are served. Europe could be an extra fee.

Here's the image.

 

[cyrano]

Thanks.

But is it so unusual to see a swimming squirrel? I know the ones we have here can swim, just not very far and they don't seem to enjoy it. I remember seeing one dropping from a tree into a pond years ago. He was fast to get out of the water.

A remarkable thing is that squirrels from the USA that escaped in the UK have conquered some forests and the native red ones are gone. In other places in the UK, the native red species turned carnivorous and ate the bigger US squirrels.

Lots of people over here find these animals adorable but they don't seem to know they can get into fighting amongst themselves. Just as bas bad as hares. Fur flying around and occasionally they kill one another. Why are these animals adorable and why are so many people afraid of mice?

Thinking of mice, the kill count is up to 31...

 

[JohnRoberts]

Thanks.

But is it so unusual to see a swimming squirrel? I know the ones we have here can swim, just not very far and they don't seem to enjoy it. I remember seeing one dropping from a tree into a pond years ago. He was fast to get out of the water.

A remarkable thing is that squirrels from the USA that escaped in the UK have conquered some forests and the native red ones are gone. In other places in the UK, the native red species turned carnivorous and ate the bigger US squirrels.

Lots of people over here find these animals adorable but they don't seem to know they can get into fighting amongst themselves. Just as bas bad as hares. Fur flying around and occasionally they kill one another. Why are these animals adorable and why are so many people afraid of mice?

Thinking of mice, the kill count is up to 31...

They are just rats with furry tails...  not adorable at all.

JR

PS: another morning with no squirrels... 8)

 

[PRR]

> the native red species turned carnivorous and ate the bigger US squirrels.

Uh, OK. Rent some to John.

Squirrels do eat bugs. And folks in Borneo say: "...the squirrel waits on a low branch for a deer to pass below, jumps on its back and bites the jugular vein, whereon the deer bleeds to death. Once dead the squirrel proceeds to disembowel the deer and eat the stomach contents, heart and liver." link

 

[cyrano]

> the native red species turned carnivorous and ate the bigger US squirrels.

Uh, OK. Rent some to John.

Now that's an idea! 

Squirrels do eat bugs. And folks in Borneo say: "...the squirrel waits on a low branch for a deer to pass below, jumps on its back and bites the jugular vein, whereon the deer bleeds to death. Once dead the squirrel proceeds to disembowel the deer and eat the stomach contents, heart and liver." link

Interesting.

The problem with humanity is that they tend to class their fellow inhabitants of this planet into categories. Fi, useful, cute, vermin...

We're just slowly learning that there is no vermin. They all have their place in the system and only turn into vermin if the system is out of balance.

Nevertheless, I kill mice, lacking predators to eat them. And if I had pecan trees, I might shoot some squirrels too, just like John.

The problem with mice in the absence of predators, is that you have to eradicate all of them, or the problem returns.

 

[JohnRoberts]

Now that's an idea! 

Interesting.

The problem with humanity is that they tend to class their fellow inhabitants of this planet into categories. Fi, useful, cute, vermin...

Typical behavior when at the top of the food chain.

We're just slowly learning that there is no vermin. They all have their place in the system and only turn into vermin if the system is out of balance.

I've had squirrels chew holes in the side of my house to set up housekeeping in my attic. That is indeed out of balance and upsets my chi.

I wouldn't mind as much if they actually ate the pecans, but they aren't ripe yet, so they usually just bite a hole in the shell them dump them on the ground ruining the crop for everybody.

Nevertheless, I kill mice, lacking predators to eat them. And if I had pecan trees, I might shoot some squirrels too, just like John.

The problem with mice in the absence of predators, is that you have to eradicate all of them, or the problem returns.

I thought house cats/barn cats were effective predators for mice? Several of my neighbors have cats and they keep the mouse population in check, at least in their yards (they also reportedly kill squirrels, but can't say I notice a difference in my yard), while I have seen at least one cat lurking around where the squirrels spent time this spring (under a big oak tree). The squirrels also chew on pinecombs up in my pine trees. They can have those.

Get a cat,,, friendlier than those vampire red squirrels. While I have no problem with sending mice to their maker using an old school victor trap. I haven't seen a mouse inside my house for several years, ever since I sealed up their means of ingress (with expanding foam around my water pipes).

JR

 

[cyrano]

Some cats are killers. But we already have a dog... A Beagle. But he doesn't consider mice to be his kind of game...

 

[JohnRoberts]

Some cats are killers. But we already have a dog... A Beagle. But he doesn't consider mice to be his kind of game...

My dog (dalmation) used to chase rabbits in the yard, and never caught one. He could easily out run them in a straight line, but rabbits would zig-zag and always get away, as he over ran them and couldn't change direction quickly enough.

My neighbor has a half dozen (or more) cats and some are proficient hunters, others are not. I can see the one or two really serious  hunters sitting patiently still, stalking their prey in several neighbor's yards.

I take care to not accidentally target my neighbors cats when they are hunting squirrels too. The squirrels have different distinctive movement patterns, but oddly some local baby birds started copying the squirrel movements, hopping from branch to branch like the squirrels do. So far I give the birds a pass, but since one chewed up a ripe fig from my fig tree that I was watching and about to harvest, they are losing good will with me. 

JR

PS: Another morning with no squirrels in my pecan trees... I still see squirrels elsewhere around town when riding my bike. My local squirrels must have found a different food opportunity for now.  I doubt I put a serious dent in the population but I may have made my yard less fun for any squirrels experiencing near misses.