Sciurus

I am not surprised it’s balls were fat after falling from a tree!😂😂😂 I’ll whats app you later.👍

I could have done with your sharp shooting prowess today, I am still under doctors and physios orders and only managed to do a quarter of the Estate before I had enough !

This week has been a washout, the lakes and rivers are flooded again and today is the first morning with no rain forecast. I decided to go to the start of the red zone, the hotel was still closed to visitors but there were a few hardy campers in the bigger field, which curtailed my movements. Surprisingly, it was 15 minutes before I spotted a grey in the same Douglas fir in the gardens as two weeks ago. I had a single shot with the 410 hushpower but this one was armour plated and escaped into the foliage never to be seen again. (That’s twice its escaped me). A few minutes later I got a squirrel signal on the thermal in some rhododendrons, but just couldn’t spot it with the binos. This squirrel soon got bored with taunting me and did a houdini on me. Up the steep hill to the start of the wood. The going was hard and slippy in the waterlogged ground. There was a tremendous amount of bird activity, buzzards, long tailed tits, tree creepers and a very industrious woodpecker. At the top of the bank three roe deer watched me struggle up. Finally, I spot two greys about 100 yds away, running up and down a large broken branch. One problem- how was I going to get close to them through all the brash and mud, without disturbing them? The answer was very slowly and painfully. You can see the brash and fallen trees I had to climb over but not the mud! It was at this position I stopped and got the thermal out and located the two greys in the upper branches. Bang* -one down. A quick sweep with the thermal found the other grey, trying to flatten itself against an upper branch. Bang, down came the other larger female . * bang- I wasn’t using subsonics. I had a mooch around for another hour but didn’t see any greys (or reds). Coming back to the car park, there was some movement in a yew- a red! I apologise for the photo- I was literally 4 foot beneath it. - they are just so nosey. The day wasn’t finished, I had promised to lend a trail camera to a chap who lived on the Estate. Blow me, if he didn’t casually point out this red feeding outside! He told me he had 3 reds visiting daily - these were probably the reds I saw a fortnight ago. - It is not surprising he had them visiting regularly- they lived on a diet of hazelnuts, walnuts and peanuts! They were so well fed they wouldn’t eat sunflower seeds.

Not my normal music genre but I had it as my phone ring tone for years- fantastic! RIP

Four for me today- 410 Total 3444

Looks like the ice and snow has deterred everyone from going shooting greys (including me). I did go out last week, I lasted about an hour before the cold got too much for my fingers (blasted blood thinners). Today, the forecast was rain so I thought I would give it a miss, however when I woke up it was dryish and dull- perfect thermal weather and as it turned out, a lovely morning out. It was 8.30 when I arrived at the hotel, the scaffolding was up- great, it was still closed to guests. 👍The lower car park was nice and empty and as I was pulling the .410 out of the slip, there was a twang and a branch of Douglas fir was bouncing! Out with the binos, there was a grey coming straight at me. The only cartridges in my pocket were Cheddites- heavy on lead & light on powder. Phut! The grey staggered, did abit of to ing and fro ing and stopped for a second and phut, one down and I hadn’t even unloaded the car. Walking along the garden path, I thermalled a rabbit running along the path in front of me, however its large bushy tail suggested otherwise. Game on. It disappeared into the shrubbery and I thought I had lost it. Fifty feet further on, it was sitting up having an acorn for breakfast. Pop went the sub eleys and it kicked its way down the bank into the undergrowth. Two down. Scanning around for the body, I picked up another grey, rooting around the opposite bank of the stream. Pop three down. I crossed the bridge to pick up number 3 and scanned what appeared to be a woodie in the lower branches of a tall fir. The binos confirmed a grey with just its back showing. Pop. Four down and I had only walked a hundred yards! A search of the rest of the garden and campsite didn’t reveal any more greys and normally I would have been happy with that. But the day got better. Moving along into track, I spotted what looked like a bird on a tree stump but the binos confirmed it was this chap below. I watched him for a minute or two and walked towards the cottage where those kits were filmed last week. Blow me, across the ravine I spotted two more reds, one had a very light tail and was on a mission up and down trees, the other other just sat on a branch, presumably watching me. I continued along the stream until I met the main track and unbelievably there was a fourth red! As I was fumbling trying to get my phone out, it disappeared up the tree and into a small drey about the size of a small football. As I was logging the co ordinates on my phone, it came out again and ran down the trunk and I managed a quick photo below A lovely dark red colour. None of these reds were kits, so there must be at least 7 reds in this area which is encouraging. I Haven’t seen so many reds in one day, I suspect the warmer weather and ideal thermalling conditions helped alot. It is however worrying that so many greys are suddenly appearing- I’ll be back at them in the early New Year. Have a lovely Christmas. Cheers Garnet

Wow! Very interesting- you learn something every day👍

Herpes should deliver by the weekend- don’t get excited over the size of the box!😂

@Mice!You’re a tough beggar, sleeping in the van in this weather! It was minus 9 Sunday night at Levens according to Bbc. Well done on your mornings wanderings. There is a little present on its way for you and the kids, for posting some great write ups this year.👍Hopefully your very understanding wife will also like it. I have a confession to make. On Sunday, I should have gone shooting in the Cold Wood, it is called the Cold wood for a reason, however I took one look outside and jumped back into bed! ps In actual fact, the greys don’t like this wood either, its north facing. I’ll go when its warmer.

Thanks👍

We ordered a job lot and sold them at the various local shows, I think the rest were sold via the electronic newsletter. I know theTreasurer doesn’t like to order too many as any left unsold cuts into profit. I agree, the photos are of exceptional quality and talent. I suspect you might see the photos in a future newsletter👍

@Fisheruk i agree completely that control has to be organised over a large area with full co operation from all landowners. This site falls within our G2G (Grizedale to Grasmere) iniative, the main aim being to prevent greys travelling along this corridor into Grasmere (Maintained grey free). I run a small sub group and we removed 45 greys in November. The volunteers of our group as a whole removed 132 greys. There will be figures from contractors and landowners to come in still. We are just one of the many red squirrel groups up in the Lakes doing our bit👍 @Mice!We have previously looked at producing a calendar using our own photos but it is just not cost effective. Instead one calendar is produced and shared between all the local groups. Haven’t you bought yours yet?!!

Apparently there are 3 kits visiting at the moment. Five years ago there were no reds at all on this Estate, but with regular shooting control in the woods by our volunteers by shooting and trapping by two tenants in their gardens, the reds are slowly returning. I am concerned at the number of greys suddenly appearing, after being nearly grey free all year.

These two were photographed this morning at one of my permissions. The kits had been coming to the owners garden for a couple of days now and just have some ear tufts growing. It is hoped they have already put on enough weight to survive the winter but I have recommended regular supplementary feeding. They also have an occasional grey visitor and so the war of attrition goes on.

My memories were permanent chilblains on hands and toes, playing rugby- ouch! Oil lamps and sacking in outside privy, bedsocks, balaclavas, when we all pretended to be the Sherriff of Nottingham, sea frozen over in Blackpool and best of all, skating at night with a lantern and car headlights. The ice used to creak alarmingly at night.

Just two this morning. Total 3380

Back out this morning to the hotel and campsite on the fringe of the Red Zone to get the rest of a family that I didn’t get last week. It was sub zero, with a smattering of snow on the tops. The hotel was closed for refurbishment, so I didn’t have to be too discreet but unfortunately there was a major hiking route straight through the centre of the grounds and because of the sunny crisp conditions, the walkers were out in force. Twice, I have thermalled a grey and twice they disappeared into the undergrowth as a walker passed. I finally spotted a third but he heard me crunching on the lawn and disappeared up a tall pine well before I was in range, the thermal just reddedout because of the frost and sunshine 😡 Retracing my steps, half an hour later, blow me, squirrel number 1 was running up a rhododendron, bang and he was down ( after doing abit of aerial acrobatics). Even better squirrel number 2 was sheltering in a holly, he thermalled like a pigeon but just didn’t quite look right and I just couldn’t see him with the binos. As I got very close, he bolted and I hit him hard but he kept going and I dropped him with the second shot. Both were youngsters and both were shot within 10 yds of where they were disturbed by the walkers. A pleasant mornings walk and I was home drinking coffee just after 10am

My wife retiring got in the way of my self indulgent activities. Thankfully she got a voluntary job at Save the Children a couple of days a week- phew! She loves it, a complete change from being a College Administrator , meeting people, arranging window displays, sorting and pricing donations, she spends hours researching the value of stuff- antiques, designer gear, 1st editions etc. One major problem- She keeps buying c**p and bringing it home. However its a small price to pay for freedom!

Seven today for two of us Total 3378

Tree rats everywhere up here. (Unfortunately) Out again this morning and a different wood., This time with a pal and his two whippets (mother and daughter). The shooting is a little different. One whippet runs slightly ahead, so no greys are seen scratching about but any movement in the trees, the mother is switched on and sits patiently beneath the relevant tree. By that time the two of us surround the tree, until the grey is spotted and shot by one of us. It stops all that running circles round the trunk. Most of the greys were spotted by thermal hiding at the tops of firs or in yews to keep warm. Once identity is confirmed, the grey is shot or persuaded to move with a warning shot and finished off by the other gun. The dogs sit patiently waiting for their present from Heaven. Its quite comical watching them manoeuvring for position as the grey comes crashing through the branches, try to guess where it will fall or catch it midair. Two interesting shots. One grey was knocked clean off the branch and landed with a hell of a thud, pretty well in front of us, we looked but no corpse. There were however two dogs sat beneath two separate trees looking up expectantly. Working on the principal that mother knows best, we scoured the first tree for a good few minutes before it was spotted and dispatched. The other interesting shot was by me. We saw a grey run into a yew and disappeared. I could get a vague signal on the thermal but it was impossible to locate it exactly. I gave it a warning shot to shift it for my pal to shoot but it dropped down stone dead. What made it special is the .410 mossbergs are very tightly chocked and therefore very easy to miss a visible squirrel never mind a hidden one. Interesting views in the previous posts about greys in tree holes. There are alot of mature oaks with holes up here, in fact we don’t see many dreys. Following Storm Arwen , there are now alot of oaks with cracked and torn limbs. It is very common to shoot a grey looking out of a hole or crack as they think they are safe and warm. Todays tally was seven. Unfortunately tomorrow is hospital day but I hope to be out Wednesday and Friday. Got to get them while we can (& there are fewer tourists walking about). We can’t let them breed (the greys and tourists😂!) .

I went out on Friday to my favourite permission, perfect conditions and shot badly with .410 hushpower, ended up shooting just two. Goodness knows what went wrong. This morning, I had a lie in and arrived at the permission where I had the gusher of a nosebleed earlier this week around 9.15. I parked in the entrance to have a look at the copse at the front of the house where the greys travel in from a neighbouring wood. No greys in the usual spots, but I did get a signal on the thermal from a tree on the boundary, binos out, confirmed its grey, binos down and out of the undergrowth pops another grey. Deciding a grey on the ground is better that a grey in a tree, I took the shot- one down. The other grey disappeared but I could just detect a signal of its back, hugging the trunk further up- two down and I had only been there 5 minutes. Of course, I completely missed the third- never to be seen again. Moving into the wood at the rear of the house, I spot another unexpected grey running around the branches in a young oak where I have never seen greys before. Bang . Number 3 down. A pleasant half hour passes, I spot 2 hares and a woodcock but strangely no deer. Finally I spot another grey at exactly on the same spot on a wall where I shot one on Monday, presumably siblings. A more interesting shot through the forked trunk of a tree. No 4 and the last one of the morning came down. An all Female bag. I don’t usually shoot so late in the morning (& never on a Sunday) but I enjoyed this morning, no one about and a reasonable bag for such a small wood. I’ll have to try it again.

Two for me today, still very murky- perfect thermal weather. Total 3351

I bet Meghan is already amending Harry’s autobiography as we speak!

A great shame, I always like Christine (and John) McVie - so cool and modest. RIP

I thought the householder came over as a thoroughly decent guy, however given the circumstances (losing control, clipping the bike and then driving under the van), he was clearly driving too fast, caused an accident and injury to the thieves and as such the jury had to find him guilty. I do think the prison sentence was harsh. Given the provocation of the break in, good integrity of the householder and that he is unlikely to reoffend, I thought a suspended sentence would have been appropriate. I also thought the judge was correct to make clear that thieves were largely responsible for the events leading to their injury. It is ironic that these life changing injuries didn’t prevent them continuing their life of crime a few weeks later. I can’t think of any punishment that would be a deterrent to those scumbags. As a 69 year old wimp, I wouldn’t have given chase but if I was fit and lived in an area where burglary was rife and the police take no action, I think there can be justification in giving chase. It is ok to say you are not in danger if the burglars are running away, but who is to say, they won’t return that night or any other night to get/do what they wanted? I certainly don’t accept the argument that they only wanted to steal the motorbike and the owner and wife were in no danger. The householder didn’t know that- hindsight is a wonderful thing.