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Grey Squirrel

Carlos4Carlos4 Posts: 13
in Wildlife gardening
Hello! I'm only starting this thread after witnessing a grey chase off some little sparrows as it tried to feed. I wanted to know what other people think about greys? I know that some people loathe them and others are indifferent to them.
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  • pansyfacepansyface Posts: 21,555
    Brunswick Stew, from James Beard's American Cookbook. 3 thinly sliced onions, 2 cloves garlic, 2 or 3 squirrels, skinned and jointed, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon rosemary, 2 cups chicken stock, 1 bay leaf, half a cup of Madeira, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 1 cup chopped tomatoes, 1 cup broad beans, 1 cup sweetcorn, 1 cup chopped okra, parsley.
    Apophthegm -  a big word for a small thought.
    If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
  • SupernoodleSupernoodle Posts: 954

    Giggle!image

  • bekkie hughesbekkie hughes Posts: 5,294
    Possibly not the best thread for someone who feels bad about picking a mushroom! I still stop and stare at squirrels when i see one, of course i like them image
  • pansyfacepansyface Posts: 21,555
    I like them too. They are delish.
    Apophthegm -  a big word for a small thought.
    If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
  • Carlos4Carlos4 Posts: 13
    Erm... Sounds delicious! I guess eating them would be similar to the whole cray fish thing that's going on in our rivers. What wine would you recommend with that stew anyway? Red or white?
  • bekkie hughesbekkie hughes Posts: 5,294
    Even tho im veggie, i have no problem with folks catching and killing for food, as long as its done well and with as little suffering as possible image
  • Carlos4Carlos4 Posts: 13
    Here here! I think I'll leave extra food out for the birds so the greedy squirrel doesn't starve the little birds!
  • bekkie hughesbekkie hughes Posts: 5,294
    You cant blame the squirrel for looking for an easy meal, must be like mcdonalds for it! Why not try monkey nuts in shells, it might slow it down a bit! image
  • pansyfacepansyface Posts: 21,555
    Grey squirrels are yet another example of human beings mucking up the eco system. I have no quarrel with red squirrels because they are native to the British Isles. The grey squirrel is a horrible American import. It will eat birds' eggs in the nest, eat fledglings, destroy tree bark and kill trees.



    I would not wish a painful death on any living thing. I don't kill slugs and snails. When I was a child you could get a cash reward for turning up at a police station with a grey squirrel's tail. (It was assumed that the squirrel was now deceased and not wandering around without a tail). Even that failed to halt their increase in numbers.



    The crayfish are the same. Here the water bailiffs go hunting for them and try to keep their numbers down.
    Apophthegm -  a big word for a small thought.
    If you live in Derbyshire, as I do.
  • Carlos4Carlos4 Posts: 13
    I think we're stuck with them forever! I know in Wales there is a sanctuary for them but it is a huge shame that a native species only occupies pockets of the UK.



    This grey is getting peanuts from somewhere and burying them in my pots! I'm fed up of pulling out peanuts that have started to root. Either the squirrel is very forgetful or the little bugger is trying to cultivate its own crop of peanuts!
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