Squirel opening asda doors!

This photo cheered me up this morning.
home.bt.com/news/latestnews/nutty-red-squirrels-steal-spotlight-11363873248661

In Kensington Gardens you pretty much get mobbed by the squirrels who expect every bag and pocket to be full of food. It does worry me when I see people encouraging small children to feed them though. I've been on the receiving end of enough bites to know what a mess they could make of a small hand. It's one of the few occasions when I will intervene.

We have a lady locally who regularly feed the squirrels in our local common. The problem is any person who sits on the bench she used to off load the nuts etc has their bag, camera bag, shopping bag investigated by the local mob.

My OH and I were staying at a old hotel in Arlington Va. With lots of wooded grounds.We started buying and leaving nuts out for the squirrels.Once getting out of our car a squirrel ran up to us and looked at us like...where are the nuts? It was surprising because we had never stayed around feeding them,we just left nuts on the ground.I really felt bad because we were empty handed!

I had a pet squirrel that I bottle fed gracesmum and he was VERY cuddly. Admittedly he did bite me several times, but it was always my fault. We had him for about 11 years and used to go out and collect bags of acorns for him every autumn. He loved mushrooms, ice cream and spoonfuls of tea. The sad thing was that we were never able to set him free because it was illegal. Still, he wouldn't have got his tea and ice cream out in the woods

Isn't he cute

So why are harmless cuddly ickle squirrels lumped in with rats as vermin?

Do birds have nuts? gracesmum, ummm! is Grace a cat? hope so.

No the black squirrels behaviour is exactly like the grey. It is a grey. A pair of grey in this area could have a black baby or two blacks could give birth to grey and often a mixture. Blacks and greys do pair and also can have a combination of black/grey. The Black isn't black,black it is a very very dark brown which looks black.

I can't argue that I entirely agree they are highly entertaining nor can I explain the gut reaction that a) squirrels are cute but b) Eek!!! there's a rat! I think Beatrix Potter has a lot to answer for!
Grace loves squirrels but they stay well out of reach on high up branches. Doesn't stop her trying though! Her predecessor caught one once and buried in the garden for later

Crossed posts - I think we agree!

Oh, I agree that they look cuddly, Flower, we have grey ones in our garden and it's wonderful to watch their antics especially when they're trying to get at the bird nuts!

But they only look cuddly and cute - that was my point. Surely the black variety isn't essentially different in nature to the others?

I was joking gracesmum, Natural History is my second name. It is my way of life. I would never cuddle any wild animal - ever. No one should. No I am not a vegetarian. I eat little lambs, piggies, cows and free range chickens. I try to eat 'happy' meat though - Still like squirrels, love to watch their behaviour. I adore British Wildlife especially and glory in all of the native animals - although the Grey were introduced I still like them. Pests though they are.

My DDH met through Natural History, he was Head of NH for North Hertfordshire and Countryside Officer. I bathe in his reflected glory

No need to cuddle on Ana. Just love observing their behaviour. My DDH is a Black Squirrel expert. You may have seen him on Natural History programs which have focussed on the Black Squirrel. Just a bit of name dropping here.[wubj] meant Thats what comes from touch typing when tired. xxx

They look very attractive in the wild and even in our gardens and if you are lucky enough to have red squirrels even better. But especially the greys are vermin - they are not I repeatnot cuddly nor indeed should you ever try to cuddle one! Fox cubs are cute, badgers are cute (now that's contentious) but we have become so conditioned by animal-shaped cuddly toys in our childhood that we forget that a wild creature is just that.
Also lambs and calves are cute, chickens are cute, piglets are bundles of fun (?) - I assume you are a vegetarian?

Have you every tried cuddling one, Flowerofthewest?
I believe they have a very nasty bite...

Black Squirrels

I love squirrels gracesmum We have the Black variety in our locality. They are melanic Greys but are beautiful. They are not at all rats but lovely cute cuddly creatures. Mind you they are a pest to the native Red. So you can call them vermin if you like

DH says that squirrels are rats with good P.R.

just hope it has been caught ! and not contaminated the foodstuff! think I shall buy only tinned goods for a while

Sweet? Squirrels, with apologies to Squirrel Nutkin, are vermin - rats with tails. How cute would we find a rat scampering round Asda or even Waitbury's?

I hope all the packs of nuts haven't been gnawed through!

How sweet. At my local Asda there was a family of ducks which walked into the store.