Squirrels missing?

[rancid badger]

I've been walking Chopwell Wood for over 20 years now and have witnessed the demise of our Red Squirrels, the last time I recall reds in the area was 9 years ago.

The grey's however, went from strength to strength, as they do, with literally dozens of them running across the road in, to the car park and always scurrying about among the trees.
I have often stood beneath the tree's watching the tree rats feeding and dropping nuts and cones etc.

Until, that is, this year. The wood is almost completely deserted as far as squirrels go. Any ideas where they might have gone or what might have killed them off?

Not particularly concerned you understand, just curious

cheers
R.B.

 

[Asa Samuel]

I'm no expert but I keep hearing about grey squirrel culls so could be something to do with that?

Asa.

 

[rancid badger]

I'm no expert but I keep hearing about grey squirrel culls so could be something to do with that?

Asa.

No it's definitely not a cull, if it was I'd be one of the people involved in organising it, as I'm a member of the management committee and work ( voluntarily) very closely with the Forestry Commission

There has been a lot of thinning out of conifers, over the last 12 months but there were still hundreds of squirrels up to last winter, then virtually nothing this year.

R.B.

 

[Asa Samuel]

No it's definitely not a cull, if it was I'd be one of the people involved in organising it, as I'm a member of the management committee and work ( voluntarily) very closely with the Forestry Commission

There has been a lot of thinning out of conifers, over the last 12 months but there were still hundreds of squirrels up to last winter, then virtually nothing this year.

R.B.

Ah ok. I can only speculate on what could have happened as I don't really know enough about forests and squirrels but it could be all sorts of things. Are there more predators there than usual that could be scaring the squirrels away?

Asa

 

[rancid badger]

nothing that I'm aware of.
I think I'll have a word with the FC's conservation officer/ecologist and let him know about it. You never know, it could be something that might be used as a natural control measure.

I'm thinking it must be something to do with the thinning to be honest.

The wood really is almost devoid of them though it reminds me of the first 10 or 15 mins of '28 Days Later' :theyareon

Well.........

sort of

cheers

R.B.

 

[Goatboy]

Actually now you guys mention it, we usually have both reds and greys here, they seem to manage to get along, living in different trees, though I've not seen many this year... though the corvid population has exploded???
Could this be a cause? my mut managed to take out two greys last year... I only let him slip on greys, and most chuffed he is too.
I'm also not seeing the usuall signs of squirrels... gnawed cones so much. I'm in Perthshire. Maybe we should build a map of non squirrel activity?
Curious
GB

 

[Mirius]

Funnily enough what I've noticed in my woods over the last couple of weeks is a lot of dead greys. Big, apparently healthy ones. I've not inspected them for any cause so I don't know if they were killed or died of other causes.

<shrugs>

 

[Ruvio]

Theres bloody dozens in our garden
Greys and a few reds...not many reds like, seem to be healthy, but will keep an eye out

 

[Goatboy]

Have posted a link to SNH ( Scottish National Heritage ) to ask if they've seem anything of this ilk, and to bring it to their attention. Will keep you all posted if there's any news, do like those reds... Like the greys too, but only with a nice satay sauce.
TTFN
Goatboy.

 

[Scrumpy]

My local wood was full of squizzles but nothing this year? Not seen any dead ones, I think this year there is fewer of them and they are being more sneaky. They communicate via bush telegraph and organise their sneekyness, clever little critters but tasty none the less!

 

[Chris G]

Funny, I went for a bimble in my LNR on saturday. While having lunch in the hammock (like you do) and then just chilling out, the thought occured to me that there isn't a single squirrel or other animal in there at all. The odd bird and dog walkers, but no rabbits (plenty of spore and holes) and no squirrels. Struck me as being odd.

 

[Stryker]

My son and I were in Chopwell the other weekend and I only spotted one grey, although we did have one in the garden the week before attacking the bird feeder, and we live 1 1/2 miles from the nearest woodland.

 

[Shewie]

A slightly different slant on it but I've just had a week on a campsite in Chamonix where signs were all over the place asking not to feed the squirrels, but I didn't see a single one the whole time we were there. One of the site managers said she'd hardly seen any herself so far this year which is strange as they're made themselves a bit of a name for coming into camp for a feed on a regular basis.

 

[Daegurth]

i was walking through chopwell woods with my mum yesterday, and she told me that it was part of a scheme by the duke of northumberland to capture as many greys as possible, in order to help the reds reestablish themselves.

apparently some of the captive greys go to his restaraunt in carlisle.

 

[rancid badger]

i was walking through chopwell woods with my mum yesterday, and she told me that it was part of a scheme by the duke of northumberland to capture as many greys as possible, in order to help the reds reestablish themselves.

apparently some of the captive greys go to his restaraunt in carlisle.

The Duke may well be running some sort of culling/collection scheme but not near here. Trust me; if there was anything like that going on in Chopwell Wood, I'd know and indeed, be involved. ( comes of being a member of the management committee)

They are definitely not trapping or using any other control measures in Chopwell Wood.
I've been chatting with FC staff about it and they have no idea whats happened this year, although they suspect that it's something to do with squirrel pox cycles.

The squirrels haven't just thinned out, they have all but disappeared.

Thanks to all for the interest anyway, we'll just have to see what happens next spring:AR15firin

all the best

R.B.

 

[Barney]

This reminds me of the sudden splurge of deaths amongst the Seal population shortly after northern European fishermen were complaining about the Seal population affecting fish stocks in the north sea. It turned out to be canine distemper if I remember correctly. I wonder what this disease will be.