Eastern Grey Squirrel, the new terror.

[Bestside]

Hopefully the neighbourhood cats go after these buggars and give the baby quails a break.

Cats roaming the neighbourhood are another invasive species. Perhaps at last they can serve a good purpose.

[zzontar]

Hopefully the neighbourhood cats go after these buggars and give the baby quails a break.

Cats roaming the neighbourhood are another invasive species. Perhaps at last they can serve a good purpose.

I don't think the baby quail would be too impressed that a cat kills a squirrel before killing them.

[grammafreddy]

Hey Gramma, is that a picture of my little buddy Blacky? (Gramma and I became friends because of that little critter.) Fast forward 2 years and there is now at least 3 living in the area and playing tag on the fence. The invasion has started!

It is indeedy ... now what are ya gonna do about them? Will you report them and try to trap them?

[janalta]

The Grey Squirrels are, like any invasive species, bad news for our indigenous animals. They are aggressive, breed like rats, and will kill any and all songbirds, Red Squirrels, and native plant species.

And...here we go again with the wildlife hysterics.

I'm sure that you're aware that the native Red Squirrel and Douglas Squirrel also include eggs and hatchlings in their diet? And that for all three species, it is not a staple of their regular diet, but rather an occasional supplement. There is no scientific proof that the Eastern Grey Squirrel is any more of a threat to native bird populations than it's native cousins.

I'm sure also thast everyone who plans to shoot, trap and kill Grey Squirrels can, without doubt, differentiate them from their native cousins? Even though both Red and Douglas Squirrels go through seasonal coat changes which makes them appear rather...GREY.

[Bestside]

(quote="Bestside" Hopefully the neighbourhood cats go after these buggars and give the baby quails a break.
Cats roaming the neighbourhood are another invasive species. Perhaps at last they can serve a good purpose. /quote)

I don't think the baby quail would be too impressed that a cat kills a squirrel before killing them.

You mean cats just kill for fun, not to spend some time eating dinner?
Learn something new every day.

Don't you watch the Roadrunner cartoons etc.?
The plan is to kill the squirrel first so baby quail can run and hide, and has one less murdering varmint after it.
That should impress the cute defenseless baby.. No?
Why would baby quail want to be killed first? Does it want to be a martyr?

[Dash5]

...I actually missed these cute little guys from back east.

Me too, that's why I brought a few with me!

[Tenlock]

It is indeedy ... now what are ya gonna do about them? Will you report them and try to trap them?

Well I definitely won’t be trapping them and after doing a little more research, I won’t be reporting them either. Two years ago, when I first became curious about them, I did a little research and found no reason to be fearful of them taking over B.C. Today, after some more reading on the net, I still see no reason to be concerned.

My thoughts are that Eastern Grey Squirrels are no more of a nuisance than any other squirrel. It’s not just the Eastern Grey that will invade attics, any squirrel will do that if it has access to a comfortable place to have babies.

I have a problem with this sentence from the Daily Courier article:

"In other regions where Eastern grey squirrel populations have been established, native squirrel populations have been decimated, agriculture has been affected and buildings have been damaged by nesting."

Yet Hinterland Who’s Who site says this…

"In reality the even-tempered grey squirrel usually gives way to the more aggressive red in a confrontation, avoiding a fight.

Eastern grey squirrels do not cause significant damage to agricultural crops and indeed are important agents of reforestation. Their habit of burying nuts, many of which are forgotten and later germinate, helps to re-establish the hardwood forests that have been severely reduced by human harvesting.

Grey squirrels can become a nuisance when they invade an attic, cause damage around the house, dig up bulbs in gardens or drive birds away from feeders. This is surely offset, however, by the pleasure they give to numerous city dwellers, campers, and everyone who enjoys the outdoors."

With all due respect to the university researchers, I just don’t agree that the Eastern Grey should be blamed for all these squirrelly problems. Squirrels will be squirrels, both Reds and Greys will invade attics and drive birds away from feeders. Also, I still see red squirrels in the area so have no reason to believe the Eastern Grey is taking over.

Both Eastern Grey and Red Squirrels can have 2 litters per year, with 3-6 young each time. It’s not like the Grey’s are any more prolific than any other species.

So from what I know today, I won’t be reporting my little buddies. I enjoy sharing my back yard with them.

[Rwede]

There is no scientific proof that the Eastern Grey Squirrel is any more of a threat to native bird populations than it's native cousins.

Yes there is. Their placement on the list of Schedule C wildlife by the most informed, best trained biologists in BC is complete scientific proof that Grey Squirrels are an invasive species that should not be allowed to flourish in this area. If they weren't a threat to native species, they wouldn't be on Schedule C. Grey Squirrels are far more aggressive and twice the size of Red Squirrels, and will therefore consume twice as many, or more, songbirds and other native animals than Reds ever will.

Our ecosystem here has evolved over millions of years to have the species balance that we currently have, and when we introduce an aggressive foreign predator into that ecosystem, we can cause irreparable damage to it.

Those who let their emotions take over instead of allowing science-based management of these issues are their own worst enemies.

If you had an infestation of termites in your house, would you stand back and let your house crumble to the ground because you don't want to hurt the termites? Probably not. You'd kill the termites. Just because termites are ugly and Grey Squirrels are cute and fuzzy, people's emotions keep them from understanding what needs to be done.

[janalta]

Please feel free to post the data that shows that Eastern Grey Squirrels are any more of a threat to songbirds than native species. Being larger does not equate to them killing more birds.
Like any other squirrel, their diet consists mainly of seeds, nuts and occasional insects.

Seems that it is those who want to irradicate these squirrels are the ones who are letting their emotions take over. I have no emotional connection to any particular species of squirrel.

Agreed, they are not native and therefore should never have been introduced....but encouraging people to feel free to kill and trap any that they see is ridiculous.....many native animals will be caught in the crossfire.

[Fancy]

The diet of Eastern Gray Squirrels includes: acorns, hickory nuts, walnuts, beechnuts, maple (buds, bark, and samaras), Yellow Poplar blossoms, American Hornbeam seeds, apples, fungi, Black Cherry, Flowering Dogwood, grapes, sedges, grasses, American Holly, insects (adults and larvae), baby birds, bird eggs, and amphibians. Sometimes they even eat each other!

http://www.fcps.edu/islandcreekes/ecolo ... uirrel.htm
They do eat meat and are opportunists.

[DaveC]

And...here we go again with the wildlife hysterics.

I'm sure that you're aware that the native Red Squirrel and Douglas Squirrel also include eggs and hatchlings in their diet? And that for all three species, it is not a staple of their regular diet, but rather an occasional supplement. There is no scientific proof that the Eastern Grey Squirrel is any more of a threat to native bird populations than it's native cousins.

I'm sure also thast everyone who plans to shoot, trap and kill Grey Squirrels can, without doubt, differentiate them from their native cousins? Even though both Red and Douglas Squirrels go through seasonal coat changes which makes them appear rather...GREY.

And is hyperbole worse thatn the so-called hysterics?

[econovan64]

and will kill any and all songbirds

Good grief. Squirrels killing songbirds now. They live on seeds and nuts. Lots of walnuts in Kelowna = good food supply.

The info says the squirrel can't survive in the local forests, so only in town, so

BTW they make great pets, I raise one that fell out of its nest. It never killed one bird or ate any crops, just peanuts.

[Bestside]

Yes there is. Their placement on the list of Schedule C wildlife by the most informed, best trained biologists in BC is complete scientific proof that Grey Squirrels are an invasive species that should not be allowed to flourish in this area. If they weren't a threat to native species, they wouldn't be on Schedule C. Grey Squirrels are far more aggressive and twice the size of Red Squirrels, and will therefore consume twice as many, or more, songbirds and other native animals than Reds ever will.

Our ecosystem here has evolved over millions of years to have the species balance that we currently have, and when we introduce an aggressive foreign predator into that ecosystem, we can cause irreparable damage to it.

Those who let their emotions take over instead of allowing science-based management of these issues are their own worst enemies.

If you had an infestation of termites in your house, would you stand back and let your house crumble to the ground because you don't want to hurt the termites? Probably not. You'd kill the termites. Just because termites are ugly and Grey Squirrels are cute and fuzzy, people's emotions keep them from understanding what needs to be done.

I had an acreage with oak trees and lots of red squirrels .. When the greys moved in the red adults would chase the greys away...
But the grey would get the young babies in the nest.. The reds moved out.

[janalta]

And is hyperbole worse thatn the so-called hysterics?

And...where exactly are you finding the hyperbole in my post?????

[exFarmerS]

Are they a threat?
I think so. I really miss my little red squirrels.

http://planet.uwc.ac.za/nisl/Invasives/ ... novesi.pdf

http://interface.creative.auckland.ac.n ... nglish.pdf

http://conservation-issues.co.uk/Articl ... _07-07.htm

http://www.bcinvasives.ca/invasive-spec ... y-squirrel