Advice: Squirrels
There is no such thing as a true native squirrel to this country. Both the grey and the red squirrels were introduced by humans to the United Kingdom. The grey is not the true culprit of the decline in the red squirrel. They have struggled to survive for hundreds of years even before the grey squirrels were introduced. They were fighting disease well before the grey squirrel could be blamed for introducing it.
Both the red and grey squirrels have been hunted mercilessly by gamekeepers and foresters. Both the red and grey squirrel will strip bark in the early summer and will occasionally take the odd egg or chick for food.
Up until the 1920s red squirrels were officially hunted and killed in large numbers in the New Forest. One "squirrel club" in Scotland killed over 80,000 between 1900 and 1930.
People experience problems with squirrels when they gain access to lofts where they can damage cables and wooden beams. Some people complain about squirrels raiding bird feeders and tables.
For further information on squirrel deterrence please contact John Bryant at:
Humane Urban Wildlife Deterrence
6 Royal Avenue
Tonbridge
KentTN9 2DA
Telephone: 01732 357355 / 07770 788566
Website: www.jbryant.co.uk
Email: enquiries@jbryant.co.uk
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It is very easy to assume a bird has been abandoned when you find it on the ground, but quite often it is a fledgling learning to fly. When a fledgling takes its first flight it is going to be unsuccessful, it is natural for them to spend 2-3 days on the ground sometimes before they can fly properly. Mum and dad will normally be nearby but they do not always fly down to feed every few minutes as they are trying to encourage the youngster to fly. Both the youngster and the parents are good at hiding themselves.