squirrels, where are they?????

[stealth]

as above, just not seeing them much at all, never known it this quiet. any idea why??? is this the same in your area???

michael.

[kash2001]

We've a few here and there but not many, but it's like rabbits, butterfly's, honey bees, blackbirds, they're all declining massively.

Our bees and local keepers have lost many hives due to the damp summers and winters of recent years. You don't see rabbits in the farms fields like you use to 20 years ago, looks like squirrels may be going the same route.

Our countryside is becoming barren of wildlife, don't know if it's specific to Devon but there's little to see down here but sheep and grass.

Atb

[Neil54]

Our rabbits are on the up after mixy came through a few years ago.
Not been out on the squirrels yet.

[madcarlos]

Now you mention it I ain't seen any for a while either. Not seen any in the garden or down by the river or over the woods recently. Plenty of ducks and bunnies about though.

[MartynB]

Having not seen any for a few years, seems one or two regularly come into the garden which backs on to an old orchard

[D-Man]

They're always around my area, we have a feeder on the fence, there were 4 here at the same time a few days ago. I try to name them all, but I'm running out of names..

[samboy]

Plenty in the woods near me. I see them every day but none in my garden where i have a feeder full of peanuts.

[laverdabru]

See up to 5 of the furry tailed rats whenever I look at the birdfeeders.

Bru

[jonnyone]

Only remarked to the farmer yesterday that I've yet to see my first squirrel of 2025. I hit them hard in the autumn so maybe this is the result. He did say he still has the occasional grey visit the bird feeder though
Dave

[coburn]

Could it be that people shooting them might account for there being fewer of them

[Brad3]

Only remarked to the farmer yesterday that I've yet to see my first squirrel of 2025. I hit them hard in the autumn so maybe this is the result. He did say he still has the occasional grey visit the bird feeder though
Dave

I have noticed this also.
As a none shooter, since my daughter loved seeing them, meant I largely left them alone, atleast after she got to the age of noticing their existence.

My personal theory is they have fallen to the urban gardener.
A local guy I know accounted for 43 Squirrels that were robbing his 1/2 acre back garden orchard.
Completely eradicating the entire breeding stock of the local wood which is where they visited from.
Claiming they were leaving half eaten plumbs and apples, he had still managed to upset some locals who no longer got see them.
Nothing special, he was using an open sight Original 50 of average power, but still found it very easy to wipe them out.
Claimed it was like shooting rats In a bucket.
He then claimed his brother was doing similar but had scored double his number over the last 18 months in a less urban area of green belt.
I recently watched a clip of another back yard hunter with 8 or so lined up dead, proud of his tally.
Surely, No species can cope with this level of control to just 3 guns....perhaps 100 of the critters!

[Muskett]

Not really. Maybe on a patch that has been shot hard for a few years, but otherwise they are doing well. Not heard of any disease going through them either.
There are ample, read most, places where there is no shooting at all. Only starvation, disease, and the odd road accident, keeps the numbers from going any bigger.
Shoot an areas and they will return fast enough as youngsters are sent off to find their own patch. Everything else depends on food supplies. They can keep quite high densities, but less food more starve and more damage they do.
They are tree rats and will take eggs and chics of small song birds. However, the meat intake is for certain vitamins and not their regular died. Much depends on what fruits are about.

Interestingly, Pine Martens find grey squirrels easy prey, but can't catch reds!

If you haven't seen many then either they starved to death over winter, (because their buried nuts rotted); or they popped out, thought it still a bit nippy and went to bed again.

[Muskett]

Maybe your daughter might see more songbirds now?

Grey squirrels are edible, and quite big so four or five make a meal for two. Or leave for the Buzzards, Badgers, and Foxes.

Red Squirrels are cuter, but I have huge respect for both species. The Grey is an interloper and not native to the UK. Bring disease and out competes the Reds. They do cause quite a bit of damage to trees, and all kinds of things. Don't have one caught in the house as it will trash the place.

Rats are cute. Mice cuter. Rabbits so cute. Bambi? Managed man made land, so someone needs to manage it. Not doing so is irresponsible.

[brian747]

I have plenty greys in my area,
greys and rats are my main prey these days.
atb brian

[junglie]

Not seen any all winter then we've had one raiding our peanut feeders the past few days, I was going to shoot it the other day when I spotted a rat to shoot on the ground instead so picked that instead, we had a good few rats the past few months but having culled 8 in the past 3 weeks I think I've got them all now, my old titan MPT is perfect for the job from the bedroom window.