Flyfisher
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Well, she'd be most welcome, of course, but seems to be remarkably uninterested in anything other than cat food - apart from self-caught flies.
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JoceAndChris
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Oh she's gorgeous, and the friendliest little cat in the world.
Kittens need to be exposed repeatedly to a very wide variety of foods in the first three or four months. I made sure Macavity grew big, strong, and all consuming with a special recipe of liver, heart, bone meal and vitamins, with fish on alternate days. I'll never forget the look on my neighbours' faces the day the cow heart was delivered.
Kittens need to be exposed repeatedly to a very wide variety of foods in the first three or four months. I made sure Macavity grew big, strong, and all consuming with a special recipe of liver, heart, bone meal and vitamins, with fish on alternate days. I'll never forget the look on my neighbours' faces the day the cow heart was delivered.
Penners
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JoceAndChris said:
If we're talking about statements open to misinterpretation, here's a dandy! :wink:
JoceAndChris said:
Ouch!
JoceAndChris
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:lol:
Don't think I'd be sitting here tippety tapping away if that had happened!
I think Robin's very brave farming cows. I happen to know that one is about to have a baby, which is very exciting.
Don't think I'd be sitting here tippety tapping away if that had happened!
I think Robin's very brave farming cows. I happen to know that one is about to have a baby, which is very exciting.
Penners
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I'm very excited!
Is it possible that I saw a red squirrel eating peanuts on our bird table, today?
We live in north Suffolk. I looked out of the window this very sunny afternoon, and the squirrel had its back feet clinging to the pole of the bird table, with its front feet holding the peanut cage that hangs on a chain. In the sunshine it was a distinctly coppery colour over all of its body - all that I could see, anyway.
Mrs P later saw it in the flowerbed, eating birdseed from the feeder that it had knocked to the ground. She agreed that it looked red in colour.
I'm afraid that neither of these glimpses was long enough to make out any fine details, and didn't allow sufficient time for me to get the camera.
Do red squirrels exist in Suffolk? Does anyone know?
I'm very excited!
Is it possible that I saw a red squirrel eating peanuts on our bird table, today?
We live in north Suffolk. I looked out of the window this very sunny afternoon, and the squirrel had its back feet clinging to the pole of the bird table, with its front feet holding the peanut cage that hangs on a chain. In the sunshine it was a distinctly coppery colour over all of its body - all that I could see, anyway.
Mrs P later saw it in the flowerbed, eating birdseed from the feeder that it had knocked to the ground. She agreed that it looked red in colour.
I'm afraid that neither of these glimpses was long enough to make out any fine details, and didn't allow sufficient time for me to get the camera.
Do red squirrels exist in Suffolk? Does anyone know?
JoceAndChris
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That's VERY exciting. I really hope he comes back, and you get a better view.
Found this, indicating they're in Thetford Forest: http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/370C4EA7-5B79-4D4C-A8C6-73D103C19D65/0/redsquirrel.pdf
It may be that your rats have been stitching themselves little red squirrel outfits, they are adept at these kinds of tricks you know.
Found this, indicating they're in Thetford Forest: http://www.suffolk.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/370C4EA7-5B79-4D4C-A8C6-73D103C19D65/0/redsquirrel.pdf
It may be that your rats have been stitching themselves little red squirrel outfits, they are adept at these kinds of tricks you know.
Penners
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Damn! I hadn't thought of that. Best shoot the little blighter.
Seriously, though, thank you for the link, Joce. Interestingly, there's a wee blob on the map almost exactly where we're located.
I've found that there's a Suffolk Wildlife Trust, so I've emailed them for their opinion as to whether it could be a genuine red, or just a grey (or rat!) in disguise.
Seriously, though, thank you for the link, Joce. Interestingly, there's a wee blob on the map almost exactly where we're located.
I've found that there's a Suffolk Wildlife Trust, so I've emailed them for their opinion as to whether it could be a genuine red, or just a grey (or rat!) in disguise.
Feltwell
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There is a colony of red squirrels at the Center Parcs site in Cumbria, I am told they are there as greys do not like conifer forests - the reds don't mind them, so without competition from the greys they can survive.
This makes sense if they are also in Thetford Forest (which for those who don't know, is also mostly a man-made commercial conifer forest). Is there conifer forest near you Penners?
This makes sense if they are also in Thetford Forest (which for those who don't know, is also mostly a man-made commercial conifer forest). Is there conifer forest near you Penners?
worms
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Grey squirrels are often quite auburn and can look a bit red. But the other big difference is size, greys are much larger and heavier set, while reds are actually very small and slightly built.
Flyfisher
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I'd be surprised if Penners has mistaken a red for a grey squirrel because of the size difference. I've only seen one red squirrel and that was in the West Country somewhere many years ago, but I remember first noticing it for being smaller than usual before realising it was a red squirrel.
Interesting point about Thetford Forest though, but it makes perfect sense given the red's preference, or tolerance, to conifer forests. We border onto Thetford Forest, but I've never seen a red squirrel here, only the pesky greys.
Interesting point about Thetford Forest though, but it makes perfect sense given the red's preference, or tolerance, to conifer forests. We border onto Thetford Forest, but I've never seen a red squirrel here, only the pesky greys.
worms
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A quick Google suggests there was a red squirrel reintroduction to Thetford but that there is some debate on its success:
Can't see an answer to the question, although perhaps Lord Penners now has the proof!
Can't see an answer to the question, although perhaps Lord Penners now has the proof!
jocelyn plummer
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Interesting thread about Squirrels. There have been one or two black squirrels in our local park from time to time, and we have a family of grey squirrels in our garden. However, yesterday I saw a squirrel trunning across the lawn who was almost red/chestnut coloured. Definitely was not grey.
worms
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Indeed, not all grey squrrels are grey or reds red! The last squirrel I saw was jet black, but since we (should) have no greys within 100 miles, it was definitely a red.
Penners
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At last! My inate aristocracy has been recognised and acknowledged. But please don't feel too over-awed, commoners - you can just call me "sir".worms said:
As to the size of my red(?) squirrel, I'd find it difficult to be completely certain about that. It was stretched with its back claws clinging on to the bird table post and its front claws grasping the peanut cage, so assessment was quite difficult. And I only saw it for a few seconds.
Penners
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Update on the squirrel.
I saw him* again, today, for a much longer time. He was stretching from the bird-table pole to reach the peanut feeder and failing - he fell heavily to earth. Thereafter, he sloped disconsolately around on the lawn for a while, trying to recover his dignity.
It's a grey (as I think many of you suspected).
He has quite a few bronzey patches, particularly on his sides and back, which were enhanced by the strong sunlight yesterday. But today I could also see a fair bit of grey on his legs and tail. And he's too big for a red.
Ho hum.
* Where appropriate the male shall be deemed to incorporate the female.
I saw him* again, today, for a much longer time. He was stretching from the bird-table pole to reach the peanut feeder and failing - he fell heavily to earth. Thereafter, he sloped disconsolately around on the lawn for a while, trying to recover his dignity.
It's a grey (as I think many of you suspected).
He has quite a few bronzey patches, particularly on his sides and back, which were enhanced by the strong sunlight yesterday. But today I could also see a fair bit of grey on his legs and tail. And he's too big for a red.
Ho hum.
* Where appropriate the male shall be deemed to incorporate the female.
Schoolmarm
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Never mind, grey squirrels are lovely. I love them anyway.
JoceAndChris
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Me too. Greys are gorgeous, I love them. People who call them ratty need to live around rats and they'd soon change their minds.
And bye-bye everyone, off to Russia (leaving my house and my rats in the super-capable hands of in-laws to all the thieves and burglars reading this) Back Fri xxx
And bye-bye everyone, off to Russia (leaving my house and my rats in the super-capable hands of in-laws to all the thieves and burglars reading this) Back Fri xxx
Schoolmarm
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Have a lovely time 8)
Feltwell
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Greys are smart little beggars, that's for sure - and they seem to live for quite a while. As a student I lived at an off-campus "university village" in a green and leafy part of Birmingham. The squirrels there definitely used to target students with carrier bags to try to scrounge food off - if you didn't have a carrier bag they would usually ignore you. One particular squirrel - unimaginatively known as "Stumpy" due to his lack of tail - had clearly been in a good fight at some point in his life, as he also had a big scar across his body. The disability of no tail certainly didn't slow him down,and he could be very aggressive in demanding food, unlike most of the other squirrels who just acted cute and tried to scrounge - Stumpy was known to snatch food out of people's hands and off barbeques. He was there for at least 5 years.
Penners
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Well, our grey has definitely decided that we are now his restaurant of choice. We see him on the bird table, or at the foot of it cleaning up the spillings, quite regularly. He's a cunning little beggar, too - on a couple of occasions we've found the lid of the birdseed feeder lifted up!