Squirrels

[banana]

We have loads of grey squirrels that come into our garden -dig up seedlings and eat new growth.So I'm used to seeing (and chasing) them .

Yesterday I saw a squirrel that was definitely NOT grey. It was brown (couldn't actually say it was Red) with a grey stripey tail.

Are squirrels changing? Or are there red/grey hybrids now?

[scubadiver]

Funny- because I spotted a squirrel in our garden a couple of days ago for the first time. I couldn't decide whether or not it was grey or red as it was a kind of patchy brown colour. So maybe there are hybrids about

[juliacornwal]

Red squirrels are very different from grey ones. They have pointed, fluffy ears and are much smaller than greys. They come in colours ranging from dark red almost brown, to ginger.
I live on the Isle of Wight where we don't have any grey squirrels at all and take huge care of our reds, and as one or two make regular use of the nut boxes in our garden, I get to study them quite closely.
As for hybrids - I certainly have never heard that the two species inter-breed, in fact I wasn't aware that there were any reds at all excepting on our Island, on Brownsea Island and in one area of the North of England. I doubt they do, since the grey is so much bigger and more aggressive than the red.

[Thunderbird+]

I think what you are seeing is just a colour variation, in some areas even black squirrels (of the grey kind) can be seen.

[Thunderbird+]

Just found an interesting article here-
http://newsbbc.co.uk/1/4365002.stm

see also column on right

[spudqueen]

In Central Park, New York earlier this year I saw a black grey squirrel and a sort of blond grey squirrel! So there are definitely variations.
juliacornwal - there are red squirrels in quite a few areas still, famously in Formby but also in one area of Liverpool, the Lake District and Kielder Forest in Northumberland.

[banana]

What a pity -I was hoping that the dreaded greys would be overcome some day if they were interbreeding.

Perhaps the poor thing was rusty?


Thunderbird -the link doesnt work Im afraid.

[mad4music]

Grey squirrels kill the red ones!I no this because when I was younger we had tonnes of red ones n then suddenly these grey ones turned up n we found loads of dead red ones!And last week I was in Switzerland and we were in this town and i saw a BLACK, not grey, completely black squirrel run across the road! Completely weird!!

[burnhal]

Grief- grey squirrels DO NOT attack and kill reds!! They do carry a virus which is generally fatal to reds. There are MANY factors in the grey versus red argument. For instance reds will not breed if put under pressure. Reds have a more specialised diet and a given area will support a much bigger head of population of greys compared to reds. Greys adapt to human presence very easily- reds will not.

[Dassie]

Nah, they're probably females that just go to the hair salon for highlights!

[radiogaga]

red squirrels are dying oot as the grey initially were introduced from america,, they have a virus which is killing off the red squrrels. red's are becoming rare.

[mad4music]

do 2 burnhall thank you very much!!