If you leave out food for the birds, live in the UK (especially in the South of England), you will likely encounter a grey squirrel on your feeder at some point. Over the years, these little grey invaders have become quite the opportunistic little thief, and they continue to spread around the UK.
The quickest and most effective way to deter squirrels from eating your bird food is to sprinkle chilli powder over the seed or suet mixes. Ideally, place the seed or suet mix into a plastic bag with the chilli powder and shake it up to thoroughly coat the seed and suet before placing out. Chilli powder is a cheap, easy and effective solution that will not harm the birds or squirrels.
Other deterrents you could try that reside in our kitchens include Curry Powder, Tabasco, Peri-Peri Sauce, Red Pepper and Cayenne Pepper. All of which are also known to have a similar effect on squirrels. So as you can see, there is a safe and effective way to keep squirrels from eating the birdseed on your feeders, and it is even endorsed as a suitable method by the RSPB.
Over the years, I have witnessed my parents try the greasy pole method on the squirrel, which involved placing the seed tray at the top of a very long pole and liberally applying grease. They watched the grey squirrels for many hours attempting to scale the pole before slowly slipping back down it so it does work for some time, but the problem with this was that it only lasted for a short period before the UK weather made the grease ineffective.
What is a squirrels natural food source?
In the wild, squirrels survive on a diet of nuts, fungi, berries, fruit, bark, sap and new buds. Of course, they also love bird feeders and are ultimate predators for working out the best way to break into them and obtain the food.
Can any bird feeder stop them?
Over the years, I have tried many types of bird feeders that claimed to be ‘Squirrel Proof!’ but I had never found one that works. However, until relatively recently, when I came across a new type of feeder that I believe works! I intend to write a review on this and others that I know are very popular amongst birdwatchers, but this will come in a later article. But the answer to this is most definitely Yes!
Where do squirrels live?
Grey squirrels nest are called greys and typically consist of clumps of leaves, bard, moss and twigs. In winter they can often be spotted from the ground as they look like small round bulbs of leaves but can also be found in tree cavities. They are also usually high up in the trees.
Although they vary in size, the one in my garden (quite high up a poplar tree) was around six to 12 inches in diameter. They provide a number of functions, including offering protection in inclement weather, rearing their young and a safe place to avoid predators. It is the female that typically builds this nest, and the male does not get involved.
Breeding
Breeding season starts around December and lasts until around August but is often heavily dependent on available food sources and the weather. Grey squirrels typically give birth to around two to four kittens with approximately eight being the maximum.
If you live in the south of England like me, you may be feeling a little sorry for our little grey friends, but you may be interested to know that they are not native to the UK. They have entirely overtaken our native red squirrel for which the outlook is now looking bleak!
Squirrel population in the UK
It is estimated that there are approximately 2.5 million grey squirrels in the UK compared to the native red squirrel which experts estimate to be at around 140,000. It is thought that the native red squirrel has been in the UK for approximately 10,000 years.
In contrast, the grey is a relative newcomer having been introduced to the UK by the Victorians in the early 1800s, brought over from the US as pets. The first notable record of a released squirrel appears to be in 1876 when a banker named Thomas V.Brocklehurst is recorded as having released a pair of grey squirrels into Henbury Park, near Macclesfield in Cheshire that he had brought back from a business trip to American.
After this release, many other record releases were recorded right around the UK, including in London, Berkshire, Northamptonshire, Oxfordshire, and Devon until the 1930s.
Releasing squirrels and many other species became quite popular, and during this time there were some quite notable releases right across the UK. In Surrey in 1902, sum 100 grey squirrels were released with a similar number reported in London. Aside from introducing the grey squirrel initially, these releases and the popularity of the grey squirrels as a pet is thought to have contributed considerably to the spread of the grey squirrel around the UK.
However, research from the Imperial College London published in early 2016 was also able to prove that this was not the sole reason for the speed of the grey squirrel spreading across the UK. Suppose a species population spreads from a specific introduction site.
In that case, researchers usually expect to see a lot of interbreeding, but this was not found which infers that the speed of the grey squirrel spread is most likely to have come from repeated movements and releases around the UK not just a couple of specific grey squirrel releases.
However, it is essential to note that in many cases, a release may not always be intentional with squirrel stowaways being recorded as common on vehicles as they travel the country.
Red vs Grey
Although a little old now, below is a fascinating look at the red and grey squirrel distribution in the UK. On the left, we can see the distribution of the red squirrel in the UK in 1945 in which we can see the red being dominant. In 2010 however, the picture was very different from the grey squirrel having spread around the UK significantly.
Why are the red squirrels in such decline across the UK and what can be done to help them? Experts believe that there is no specific reason for the reduction of the red squirrel or the greys’ rapid expansion. Instead, several factors may contribute to the fall, including, loss of habitat, disease and competition with the slightly larger grey squirrel.
Researchers believe that the grey ultimately competitively excludes the red by monopolising food sources. They are known as competitive displacement or competitive exclusion.
So what is being done?
There are schemes around the UK that are trying to reset the balance, ultimately trying to tackle the problem in three ways. These are Reintroduction, Habitat Management and Grey Squirrel Control.