Squirrel damage

[slowworm]

Does anyone frequent woodland regularly that suffers each year with squirrel damage? Our young woodland has suffered bark stripping each year around June. Each year the damage has got worse to the extent I'd decided to cut out or coppice much of the oak.

This year, so far, there's been no damage at all. I'm curious to know why and if anyone else has noticed similar.

 

[JonathanD]

Yes. All the woodlands by me are infested and the limbs on trees are dying everywhere. And the young trees are not thriving as they’re debarked Mature trees are being stripped at a phenomenal rate. They predated most of the tilts and woodpecker nests and are stripping the trees of new shoots. Most of the sweet chestnuts are on the floor undeveloped.

 

[Broch]

It is a constant annual battle which, although necessary, I do not enjoy.

 

[Toddy]

Do you have magpies ?

 

[slowworm]

We have plenty of magpies and I've never noticed squirrels be afraid of them. I've seen both raid nests in my time.

With regard to damage, I want to know if it's definitely been done this summer, so obvious wounds and fresh stripped bark on the ground. I've got used to which trees the squirrels will always strip first and even they haven't been touched this year. Plenty of dieback and dying trees from previous years damage.

I'm trying to work out why there's not been damage over the summer. Still some squirrels about so I had wondered if the hot and dry weather had anything to do with it.

 

[JonathanD]

Maybe you’ve had some pine martens move in.

 

[HorseGuy]

We have plenty of magpies and I've never noticed squirrels be afraid of them. I've seen both raid nests in my time.

With regard to damage, I want to know if it's definitely been done this summer, so obvious wounds and fresh stripped bark on the ground. I've got used to which trees the squirrels will always strip first and even they haven't been touched this year. Plenty of dieback and dying trees from previous years damage.

I'm trying to work out why there's not been damage over the summer. Still some squirrels about so I had wondered if the hot and dry weather had anything to do with it.

My girlfriend has a bird table at her field which the squirrels like to eat from as well. The magpies daren't go near them because they know from experience the squirrels will box their ears if they try their luck.

It's quite funny to see actually. They literally stand up on their hind legs with their fists up and throw punches at them like a boxer whenever they come close.

 

[Toddy]

We have fewer squirrels than in past years, a lot fewer, but we have a now settle magpie family, and they raid the dreys.
We have a lot of trees and we're not seeing any damage.

I think each area must find it's own balance.
I don't know what to suggest other than introducing pine martens or find someone who's a good shot.

M

 

[Snake]

I had a lot of squirrel damage/trouble a couple of years ago, thats when I started my own personal war against them, that first year I shot around a hundred, last year I think I was down to around 50, this year started off well, I think I was around 20 by march, and then they just stopped appearing, I still have a few around, but they have had a very hard summer here as we didn't see rain for around 3 months of the summer.
They have just started reappearing now.

 

[slowworm]

Maybe you’ve had some pine martens move in.

Very unlikely, we're too far away from the official release spots and an unlikely place for them to arrive by themselves in the back of a car. I also understood grey squirrels will be a very small part of their diets. It is something I have to consider as it will affect my squirrel control plans. Any obvious signs I should look out for? I assume I'll not get to see half eaten squirrels all over the place.

The damage has reduced when I've culled the greys but I've not had the time this year. I also understood it's the young males that do much of the damage so any reduction the litters this year could be the cause.

 

[Broch]

Although pine martens have been identified as a potential help with grey squirrels, be careful what you wish for. In one study (Bangor University 2019) found that 50% of pine marten's diet was red squirrel. In another case a licence was issued to cull pine martens because of ground nesting bird egg predation.

 

[Aristotle]

From what I have read, Pine Martens eat far fewer red squirrels because they can't catch them

In most of the UK, there are no red squirrels at all for them to eat anyway....

There must have been a point in time when there were populations of reds and pine martens living alongside each other in equilibrium?

 

[Aristotle]

I saw fewer greys earlier in the year. More have appeared recently. Mostly fairly small ones, presumably younger ones looking for territory.

 

[Broch]

From what I have read, Pine Martens eat far fewer red squirrels because they can't catch them

In most of the UK, there are no red squirrels at all for them to eat anyway....

There must have been a point in time when there were populations of reds and pine martens living alongside each other in equilibrium?

That's the theory, and a popular media newsbyte, but until we had greys in the late 1800's, reds were the only squirrels available to pine martens. Don't get me wrong, I would love to see pine martens in my wood, but introducing any predator will affect other wildlife. The research data speaks for itself. On the continent, where reds are abundant, they are known to make up the greater portion of pine marten diet so debunking the 'can't catch' theory. It may be true that they find greys easier to catch but, in time, they will slow any red squirrel recovery.

 

[Toddy]

How did an entire continent not become infested with the greys ?

 

[Aristotle]

How did an entire continent not become infested with the greys ?

I don't understand your question

 

[Toddy]

I don't understand your question

The UK has a grey squirrel problem, the previous post said that on the continent red squirrels were abundant....how did an entire continent not end up with 'some' greys ? and why did that population not expand like it did here ?

 

[Pattree]

How long shall it be before the grey squirrel is regarded as indigenous to the uk - as are rabbits? Is there a typical time scale?

I do not think that killing a few hundred thousand squirrels is going to make any significant difference to the national population given their total adaptation to semi urban environments.

Edited to add:
The best figures that I can finds rate the grey squirrel population between two and three million.

 

[slowworm]

I don't regard rabbits as native and I didn't think people did. Land owners can still be required to control them.

I know many people don't understand the amount of damage greys can do, no only in spreading disease to the reds, but the they can and do kill off vast swathes of young woodland. I've seen plenty of damage over the years.

However, the point of my original question is to see if anyone else has seen a reduction in damage this year.

 

[Aristotle]

The UK has a grey squirrel problem, the previous post said that on the continent red squirrels were abundant....how did an entire continent not end up with 'some' greys ? and why did that population not expand like it did here ?

Maybe more predators? Different climate?