Sciurus

Mice, another great report. I wondered whether you would be out today. I should have been out at the NT Folly this morning but took notice of the thunder and rain forecast and stayed in bed. In the end it only rained abit! I haven’t noticed ticks on greys but this week I trapped a small one full of fleas, I am now carrying a bucket nowadays when trapping rather put them in a plastic bag. I had a circular this week from Ruisland Horizons wanting volunteers to occasionally inspect the dormice nesting boxes. I suspect this is HH, if you are interested I will send you the details.

Just one trapped grey and another hedge pig.. Spotted some greys stripping a tall cherry tree- the cherries were green and size of a peanut Total 1144

After the above, I am almost ashamed to report just 2 trapped. 1135

This must be a first for Pigeon Watch - everyone in agreement it was a polecat! I was wondering why I had caught it with a bait of peanuts and sunflowers, then I remembered I had been chucking the squirrels I had caught in the trap 10ft away into the bracken. I guess the polecat had been attracted to the corpses. Oddly, this small wood suddenly stopped catching greys, I wonder if the polecat had been spooking the greys away and the polecat had detected the smell of squirrel in the trap?

I did think of taking it home to I’d it but frankly it smelt so badly I didn’t want to put it in the car. It did have an attractive face. I later looked up mink on the the web and found one photo identical to the animal I had trapped so if I had taken it home I would have shot it (by wrong ID). Are mink similar sized?

2 youngsters trapped today plus a smelly polecat! 1113

Thanks guys, I have never seen a polecat before and assumed they were ferret sized. This was one big vicious critter totally fearless with a penchant for squirrel flavoured peanuts!

Checking my squirrel traps today, I found I had caught this critter:- The trap was in ferns in a small pine plantation about a mile inland. I knew it was larger than a polecat but there had been reports of a pine marten on the other side of the lake and I didn’t know whether I had a pine marten or a mink. The only mink I had seen, was around my Grandmas neck 50 yrs ago ! This was a lot bigger, it had a large hairy tail and a face like a small terrier. It was very very aggressive, with a staccato cry and smelt terrible. I only had a sub 6lb air rifle, it was pouring down and I didn’t know anyone who could correctly Id it so I jammed open the trap to release it and it wouldn’t leave! It just wanted to snarl and bite me. It really wanted to take me on, so I left it snarling and let it take its time to wander off. Checking on the web, it looks more like a mink. Could one of you knowledgeable chaps like @islandgun confirm what I had caught and what I should have done please? Thanks

I don’t normally get squirrels at home but a youngster turned up last week. Out came the trap, which for days, it generally ignored. Unfortunately Mrs Sciurus (swmbo) won’t let me shoot at home, so yesterday’s lunch was ruined by watching the grey go in, out and round without setting it off. I oiled and fettled the trap and today 2 youngsters turned up. They spent half a hour eating up the crumbs as they fell from the bird feeder, but apart from nosing around the entrance they were just not interested. I don’t do stress but eventually I was pacing up and down, cursing the wife and wishing she would go out to the shops or anywhere! Thankfully I heard the click of the trap and the grey was transported swiftly to the garage to be culled and the trap returned to the bird feeder. Within minutes the 2nd grey came out of the holly where it had been hiding and it was Groundhog Day all over, thankfully with a successful ending after another 10 minutes of pacing. Within minutes, the phone rang, a neighbour had caught a youngster in one of the loan traps. Its much easier trapping other people’s squirrels! 1097

Not many fir trees in my woods apart rom Not many fir trees in my woods apart from the odd larch and some exotic ones! So don’t know if they are on cones here. Last year I caught plenty right until end of June - then on 1July they stopped coming and went onto the hazel, then oak then Beech. I was hoping with the lousy Spring, natural food would be later this year but in the last few days, my catches are down. 😡 Lets hope they keep coming to you at HH, It could stand more feeders, it’s big enough and should also bring them in from the other side of the hill and possibly from the woods over the bypass? I have avoided ticks this year (so far). Famous last words...

Mice, just caught up with the latest on this thread. Great report. Glad the new spot is yielding results so quickly. I have never noticed ticks on greys before , but have seen nasty sores occasionally. I shall treat any with sores more carefully in future. Are you going to put up another feeder at the other side of the wood at some time?

A bad day for me, I had a couple sites showing great promise, but only trapped one. 918

FisherUK- Thanks - I can’t multi task or add!

Four today, all trapped Total 1003

Two more trapped today. 904

An interesting article, thanks for posting Eddie. I suspect no one is at all surprised at the findings but the pine marten effect upon grey populations is astonishing as it is inexplainable, particularly in N Ireland. I have not heard why the pine marten population is now increasing after years of decline.

Gordon, I suspect she is setting up her credentials for rooting out and exposing racism in everyday Britain in order to align herself with BLM and hopefully create a job for herself with some quango. She ticks all the boxes - after all, she has been an innocent victim of a miscarriage of justice and served time! I wouldn’t be surprised if Kellogg’s just rolled over and quietly dropped the monkey.

Two more today from the same trap. PW members have culled 377 greys in the last month since lockdown was lifted - Fantastic effort. Total 900

The greys around are extremely plump and well fed due to last autumns bumper harvest. This time last year they were extremely scrawny. They are also very plentiful due to little grey control during lockdown. Get out as often as you can and shoot or trap them.

I like the way you have combined a wire feeder to the main feeder. Just as well you are strong and fit, I couldn’t hump that and a load of feed up the slopes. I can also recommend the cafe for a brew and cake (& toilets), when it reopens. Good luck with the new permission, I think it has great potential.

Another single trapped 877

Is there such a thing as hide envy?!! ! Wonderful, It blends in so well. A poor couple of days for me-just 1 trapped. A colleague has trapped 4 in his fathers strawberry bed, apparently they have ripped the bird netting to shreds, so he is not best pleased. Total 867

Terrific, enjoy it while you can. You are doing everyone a great favour. Four more for me, trapped at different sites. Total 849

141, Very impressive- great stuff! Last week, One of our villagers caught 3 in the first day with a trap, which I thought was fantastic but 5 in an hour is just brilliant. - Watch our Walker, you have competition!

Went out this morning for a wander with .410 and thermal. Difficult to spot greys in the beeches and oaks due to the full leaf canopy, but managed to shoot 3 in the ash and tree stumps. Finished off the morning with 2 more in loan traps. A beautiful morning to be out , Total 729