More snow!!!

[funkylyn]

I said I was warming it up..... this cold weather plays havoc with the oil so it may be some time

I dunno Dave.....just when I was wondering if you would surprise me and not be all talk......oh dear..... ......and the weather is clear and sunny here for landing......still, I suppose it isnt really all your fault.......just that bloody oil eh, always letting us down at inopportune moments......damn oil......


Lynda

 

[GaRRy]

Totally agree Paul, I hate that 'dalek' syndrome when its not necessary, however we are both realists and realise there can always be a time and a place for everything but please, no excessive killing just for the hell of it........

Lynda

Buts thats my point why do people feel its ok to kill rats and mice but not squirrels which are just as big a problem.

And so back to square one

 

[funkylyn]

Buts thats my point why do people feel its ok to kill rats and mice but not squirrels which are just as big a problem.

And so back to square one

But I dont feel like its OK to kill anything unless there is no other viable alternative and there is a sound reason for culling numbers......

I was really upset to have to set traps in the van recently when confronted with evidence that mice had got in, but I just couldnt take the risk of them chewing my wiring....happily I didnt catch one and they seem to have gone.

I cant say that Im a great fan of rats but as long as they stay well away from me and mine I am quite happy to let them get on with their lives unhindered.

I honestly think that all wildlife has its place, and whether I think it is cute....or not.....has nothing to do with it .....just as long as it doesnt become life threatening

OK....I admit I will kill ANY mosquito I get the chance to eradicate, but that is life or death for me so I feel I am justified.

Lynda

 

[carpetbagger]

But I dont feel like its OK to kill anything unless there is no other viable alternative and there is a sound reason for culling numbers......

I was really upset to have to set traps in the van recently when confronted with evidence that mice had got in, but I just couldnt take the risk of them chewing my wiring....happily I didnt catch one and they seem to have gone.

I cant say that Im a great fan of rats but as long as they stay well away from me and mine I am quite happy to let them get on with their lives unhindered.

I honestly think that all wildlife has its place, and whether I think it is cute....or not.....has nothing to do with it .....just as long as it doesnt become life threatening

OK....I admit I will kill ANY mosquito I get the chance to eradicate, but that is life or death for me so I feel I am justified.

Lynda

We had some mice in our garage once,along with a litter tray for the cat. He is a Persian and obviously doesn't like mice as there were nine of them.
I started off with a humane mouse trap as i had heard that if you take them 2 miles they won't find their way back. There were some posh houses just that far away so the first 4 were released in a lane near there,after all why would they come back to mine after eating caviar for supper ?. After that i got bored and went back to old fashioned traps.

 

[flecc]

I do understand, but I'm against people stereotyping against squirrels (or any wildlife) as inherently bad animals and the exterminate exterminate exterminate thinking. If the squirrels are in a sensible number and not causing any problem to the environment, leave them alone. They're just entitled to live as any other creature is. If there's a problem, then clearly some intervention action has to be taken, but that should be done by the authorities and trained individuals, not people running around with air guns.

I agree, killing for the sake of it is wrong in my view and I'm even against game bird shooting, breeding just to kill, often by maiming, just for human pleasure. Equally anti fox hunting, the excuses for doing it being tenuous at best.

But unfortunately introduced species like squirrels which have no predators have to be controlled in advance of a problem, since they breed so fast and rapidly get beyond control. Waiting for the problem causes the starvation and disease suffering on top of wiping out native species, so waiting is irresponsible, both for the welfare of greys and our native wildlife. Regular culling to keep populations moderate is the best option.

As for leaving it to local authorities, that's clearly not an option since it's the easiest item to cut or defer for budgetary reasons, which is why the greys are so out of control over much of the country now. After all, over most of Britain they've permanently wiped out our native red squirrels. Do we want our remaining songbirds and jays to go the same way? They will if we never cull the greys.

 

[flecc]

I was really upset to have to set traps in the van recently when confronted with evidence that mice had got in,

No need to kill them, I don't. I just use a humane tunnel trap and release them far away in the country where they can eat their natural food, seeds/grain etc.

 

[jhruk]

In my garden I shoot them, 166 since June 2005.

Grey squirrels are a pest, they've largely deposed our native reds, and in the Spring when remaining natural foods are in short supply, they happily eat songbird eggs and will even eat the chicks alive. Since they have no natural predators here, other then man, they often saturate areas of woodland to a high density with widespread harm to our native wildlife.

Did you know that in the UK it is illegal to release one once trapped, they have to be killed then by law?

Although surrounded by woodland I don’t seem to see an excess of them here - perhaps somebody is shooting them all. We do seem to have a lot of deer though - much tastier.

I put out bird feeders but sometimes wonder if it’s doing them any favours. There’s a cat that seems to spend all day lurking in the bushes nearby, waiting to pounce on any ground feeders, and a regular visitor is a sparrowhawk, which takes them from above.

I don’t trap the squirrels, so no illegality there, only the seemingly endless supply of mice in my garage.

 

[funkylyn]

Although surrounded by woodland I don’t seem to see an excess of them here - perhaps somebody is shooting them all. We do seem to have a lot of deer though - much tastier.

I put out bird feeders but sometimes wonder if it’s doing them any favours. There’s a cat that seems to spend all day lurking in the bushes nearby, waiting to pounce on any ground feeders, and a regular visitor is a sparrowhawk, which takes them from above.

I don’t trap the squirrels, so no illegality there, only the seemingly endless supply of mice in my garage.

All I can say is after seeing those pics of yours ....you are a very brave man, there cant be many men willing to risk marital disharmony, never mind sheer bloody pain, by allowing a wild animal into such close contact with your own personal 'storage area'.......

Lynda

 

[flecc]

Although surrounded by woodland I don’t seem to see an excess of them here - perhaps somebody is shooting them all.

In private woodlands poisoning is common practice to control greys, and that can completely wipe them out. It does on a large Dorset private estate I have access to, so if any of your woods are privately controlled, that may be silently happening and decimating your local population.

 

[funkylyn]

No need to kill them, I don't. I just use a humane tunnel trap and release them far away in the country where they can eat their natural food, seeds/grain etc.

I just needed to solve the problem quick flecc, I was about to set off for Spain and had enough on my mind without mentally taking onboard the holiday requirements of disembarking a load of bloody live rodents en route .......

Lynda

 

[flecc]

Understood Lynda, humane traps are time consuming and need patience. House mice are quite smart and can be suspicious of humane traps for a while.
.

 

[jhruk]

All I can say is after seeing those pics of yours ....you are a very brave man, there cant be many men willing to risk marital disharmony, never mind sheer bloody pain, by allowing a wild animal into such close contact with your own personal 'storage area'.......

Lynda

That photo, taken many years ago, was to some extent staged. I’d lay a trail of hazelnuts and, over time, he would follow it anywhere. He was after the hazelnut I’d hidden between my legs rather than mine.

 

[funkylyn]

Understood Lynda, humane traps are time consuming and need patience. House mice are quite smart and can be suspicious of humane traps for a while.
.

Actually flecc I think they would have been field mice as the van is in storage in the countryside and also I understand that they can be known to come into the vehicle for food and bedding, in this case they chewed into the dog food sack which was stored ready for the journey and also chewed up some dish washing sponges, but not actually live in the vehicle.

There was ample mouse dirt around but after moving the van to a garage for an oil change, they were never seen again, I cleared out all the external lockers, cleaned up and voila......no more mice, dogs showed no interest during the journey and on arrival at the house in spain not one of my 8 cats, including two killing machines aka a Bengal and a Savannah, showed any interest in the open van.
Is this correct that they can sometimes just visit for food etc but actually continue living outside somewhere ?

Lynda

 

[flecc]

Wood/Fieldmice have large rounded "Mickey Mouse" ears, very cute, unlike the small triangular house mice ears. Yes, they do come indoors, I get woodmice (same species) in my home, where they are after the birdseed I keep for the feeders. A family bred in my home, actually in my bed (!), and you can read about that and see a photo in my wildlife website on this link, it's the first story.

 

[jhruk]

In private woodlands poisoning is common practice to control greys, and that can completely wipe them out. It does on a large Dorset private estate I have access to, so if any of your woods are privately controlled, that may be silently happening and decimating your local population.

Nearly all the woodland has public access so I doubt it’s poisoning. A lot of it is owned and controlled by the local wildlife trust so they may be doing their own control. It’s certainly not a squirrel free area but there don’t seem to be the excessive numbers I’ve seen in other woods, or particularly some of the London parks.

 

[Scimitar]

The law is there for a reason Lynda, they are vermin, registered pests for a good reason, just like rats and mice as Garry remarks.

My killing is humane, I only take clean and certain instant kill shots, if that's not certain I don't shoot since I never wish to cause any animal suffering.

You'd be horrified at the official squirrel killing advice. Put it in a sack, manouvre it's head into a corner and strike it hard with a hammer.

I recall a few years ago the RSPCA prosecuted for cruelty a bloke who'd gassed a squirrel with car exhaust fumes in a sack.
Compared to the official advice, that struck me as quite a humane way of doing it. Guess what? He was found guilty of cruelty.
The RSPCA and the idiots who support them in actions like that are really doing themselves no favours.

 

[Scimitar]

I suppose a ****'s out of the question ?

You ain't even getting a cormorant.

 

[Scimitar]

I think its " cue one of your cute squirrel videos time " paul and let us enjoy seeing our wildlife being friendly with the natives.....

Lynda

Like this one?
Tex and Squirrel Launching for Retirees - YouTube

 

[Scimitar]

I quite agree... shotgun or .22lr is a better choice (mine you the .22lr is a bit ott)

Shotgun pellets wouldn't leave much to eat and a .22lr needs to be a clean headshot for the pie.

 

[funkylyn]

Like this one?
Tex and Squirrel Launching for Retirees - YouTube

Bloody crazy yanks...AND they were RED squirrels, poor things....... Pauls vids are much better lol

Lynda

( still....suppose the snow would cushion their fall )