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Chipmunk spotted in Waterford

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    #2
    Mothman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,498 ✭✭✭Mothman


    I felt this deserved a thread of its own.
    Copied from Nature in the News thread


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    #3
    Connacht
    Registered Users Posts: 447 ✭✭Connacht


    Mad.


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    #4
    littlebug
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,832 ✭✭✭littlebug


    I blame the petshops :mad:

    I've seen chipmunks for sale (not sure if Siberian) with "Alvin* and friends" sign on their cage, blatently using the Alvin craze to enhance the "cute" factor and thus, by the power of pester coupled with uninformed or just plain sales focused staff, people are lured into buying creatures they can't handle. If they aren't suitable as pets then why are they sold as pets :confused:
    Rant over.

    *Alvin = childrens movie.


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    #5
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    There have been a few reports of Chipmunks in the wild as a result of escaped/discarded pets. It may be the start of another ecological disaster for Ireland. Cute they may be ,but a real pest if they get a hold in the wild. They are not good pets and require a large open aviary style enclosure. Let's hope they don't get a hold here in Ireland.


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    #6
    magicbastarder
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Arts Moderators, Sports Moderators Posts: 48,343 CMod ✭✭✭✭magicbastarder


    i wonder how common they are? hopefully it's just an isolated escapee with no other chipmunks to breed with.


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    #7
    marlin vs
    Registered Users Posts: 1,630 ✭✭✭marlin vs


    magicbastarder wrote: »
    i wonder how common they are? hopefully it's just an isolated escapee with no other chipmunks to breed with.
    Can't be too isolated,this is a picture belonging to me from back in 2007, might be a bit graphic.

    http://img59.imageshack.us/img59/2574/chipmunk.jpg


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    #8
    recedite
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,993 ✭✭✭✭recedite


    Aaaah... they're so cute (but not the dead one). I look forward to seeing them in the future. :)


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    #9
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    recedite wrote: »
    Aaaah... they're so cute (but not the dead one). I look forward to seeing them in the future. :)

    I take it you are taking the Michael there. They will be a pest and a danger to our ecology.

    Unfortunately this report is not an isolated incident.


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    #10
    LostCovey
    Registered Users Posts: 1,717 ✭✭✭LostCovey


    Francisco Lively Pollywog wrote: »
    I take it you are taking the Michael there. They will be a pest and a danger to our ecology.

    Unfortunately this report is not an isolated incident.

    Hi Francisco Lively Pollywog,

    What is the particular concern with Chipmunks? I freely acknowledge that any alien species is an undesirable addition - just wondered what in particular they will do that is especially damaging?

    LostCovey


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    #11
    jap gt
    Registered Users Posts: 1,896 ✭✭✭jap gt


    LostCovey wrote: »
    Hi Srameen,

    What is the particular concern with Chipmunks? I freely acknowledge that any alien species is an undesirable addition - just wondered what in particular they will do that is especially damaging?

    LostCovey

    i think they will compete against the all ready struggling red squirrel. there might be other reasons too


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    #12
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Jp has it right. Their habits are very close to that of the Red Squirrel. They also eat bird eggs.

    Irrespective of this have we not learned the danger of alien species all over the world by now?


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    #13
    LostCovey
    Registered Users Posts: 1,717 ✭✭✭LostCovey


    Francisco Lively Pollywog wrote: »
    Jp has it right. Their habits are very close to that of the Red Squirrel. They also eat bird eggs.

    Irrespective of this have we not learned the danger of alien species all over the world by now?

    Absolutely agree Francisco Lively Pollywog, just wondered what the specific issue was/

    LC


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    #14
    Sundew
    Registered Users Posts: 1,554 ✭✭✭Sundew


    Saw this featured in todays (or yesterday's considering I'm writing after midnight!) Irish Times. Seems there have been quite a few sightings of them in Waterford.
    Why are we so lax in this country about allowing other species free regin to do damage to our native wildlife.
    As if the poor red squirrel didn't have anough competttion with the grey squirrel :(
    http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2010/0923/1224279504217.html


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    #15
    marlin vs
    Registered Users Posts: 1,630 ✭✭✭marlin vs


    LostCovey wrote: »
    Hi Srameen,

    What is the particular concern with Chipmunks? I freely acknowledge that any alien species is an undesirable addition - just wondered what in particular they will do that is especially damaging?

    LostCovey
    You just answer'd you'r own question,cuddly or not they are a pest species and should be eradicated.


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    #16
    LostCovey
    Registered Users Posts: 1,717 ✭✭✭LostCovey


    marlin vs wrote: »
    You just answer'd you'r own question,cuddly or not they are a pest species and should be eradicated.

    Hi marlin vs,

    I think you are mistaken there, I didn't answer my own question, but jap_gt and Srameen did understand and answer my question.

    Thanks to both.

    LostCovey


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    #17
    recedite
    Closed Accounts Posts: 13,993 ✭✭✭✭recedite


    They are "bloody foreigners". What more evidence of their badness do you want? Ireland for the Irish wildlife.


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    #18
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users Posts: 9,634 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    Hopefully the likes of pinemartins and certain raptors thin them out:)


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    #19
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    A bit of a vain hope that Birdnuts. That type of thinking won't help. Look at Gray Squirrels, alien mussels, japanese weeds, etc You can't just hope predators will keep something at bay when it is not their natural prey.


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    #20
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users Posts: 9,634 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    Francisco Lively Pollywog wrote: »
    A bit of a vain hope that Birdnuts. That type of thinking won't help. Look at Gray Squirrels, alien mussels, japanese weeds, etc You can't just hope predators will keep something at bay when it is not their natural prey.

    I take your point - but I do remember reading somewhere that Grey Squirrel numbers have dropped in certain parts of the country is association with rebounding numbers of pinemartens, since they are slower, spend more time on the ground and by all accounts are easier to catch then their red cousins.:)

    PS: Apparently Tufted Ducks, Scooters and pochards find Zebra mussel quiet tasty;)


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    #21
    Feargal as Luimneach
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭Feargal as Luimneach


    Francisco Lively Pollywog wrote: »
    A bit of a vain hope that Birdnuts. That type of thinking won't help. Look at Gray Squirrels, alien mussels, japanese weeds, etc You can't just hope predators will keep something at bay when it is not their natural prey.
    He's being scarastic....


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    #22
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users Posts: 9,634 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    Then theres the White-toothed Shrew turning up in owl pellets in Munster;)


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    #23
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users Posts: 9,634 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    Feargal as Luimneach wrote: »
    He's being scarastic....

    I'm just pointing out that some aliens are worse then others:confused:

    By the way I fully agree that all measures should be taken to keep these aliens out of the country!!


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    #24
    Feargal as Luimneach
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭Feargal as Luimneach


    Birdnuts wrote: »
    I'm just pointing out that some aliens are worse then others:confused:

    By the way I fully agree that all measures should be taken to keep these aliens out of the country!!
    No offence intended.:o I meant in a humorous scarcastic way.


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    #25
    marlin vs
    Registered Users Posts: 1,630 ✭✭✭marlin vs


    Birdnuts wrote: »
    Hopefully the likes of pinemartins and certain raptors thin them out:)
    With a bit of luck.


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    #26
    marlin vs
    Registered Users Posts: 1,630 ✭✭✭marlin vs


    I was in a wood in south Kilkenny yesterday,and I have spoken to some of my friends that hunt this wood for year's as I do, and none of us have seen a red squirrell there (i'm talking 30 years) but as I pulled up the car to go running the dog's a grey squirrell actually came within 15 yrd's of me,there's strange thing's happening more Buzzard's to beat the band Hen Harriers,and I have to say I love to see the raptor's, but as for non native species like the grey squirell, the chipmunk, and the mink i'll take no pity.


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    #27
    ytpe2r5bxkn0c1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 32,688 ✭✭✭✭ytpe2r5bxkn0c1


    Birdnuts wrote: »
    I'm just pointing out that some aliens are worse then others:confused:

    By the way I fully agree that all measures should be taken to keep these aliens out of the country!!

    I know we all agree about alien species and are all singing from the same sheet but please don't go the route of considering some alien species worse than others.
    They are all bad news for our ecology and environment.

    No amount of Tufted Duck will clear us of the very real threat from Zebra Mussel. Predators will never reduce the Gray Squirrel numbers by any real measure. Sorry for harping on about it but alien species are alien species and to be avoided at all costs.


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    #28
    Birdnuts
    Registered Users Posts: 9,634 ✭✭✭Birdnuts


    marlin vs wrote: »
    I was in a wood in south Kilkenny yesterday,and I have spoken to some of my friends that hunt this wood for year's as I do, and none of us have seen a red squirrell there (i'm talking 30 years) but as I pulled up the car to go running the dog's a grey squirrell actually came within 15 yrd's of me,there's strange thing's happening more Buzzard's to beat the band Hen Harriers,and I have to say I love to see the raptor's, but as for non native species like the grey squirell, the chipmunk, and the mink i'll take no pity.

    Buzzards would be a bit slow for these guys in woodland - there better on rats, rabbits etc. in open ground. Indeed around harvest time the best place to spot buzzards(in my area anyway) is in and around newly harvested fields that have large numbers of displaced rats and mice.

    On the subject of grey squirrels, I reckon the raptor to put manners on them would be the Goshawk. An agile woodland predator the can even drop to the ground and run after small mammals. There are a few pairs now in the North and maybe one or two already in the border counties of the republic. It would be great to see them spread after an absence of at least 250 years:)


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    #29
    johngalway
    Closed Accounts Posts: 10,271 ✭✭✭✭johngalway


    No more than the mink, if there there were a small bounty put on these alien species there'd be a lot better control of them. There are a lot of folks out there already trapping mink, grey squirrels etc. out of their own pocket. A small incentive wouldn't hurt though.


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    #30
    Feargal as Luimneach
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,139 ✭✭✭Feargal as Luimneach


    johngalway wrote: »
    No more than the mink, if there there were a small bounty put on these alien species there'd be a lot better control of them. There are a lot of folks out there already trapping mink, grey squirrels etc. out of their own pocket. A small incentive wouldn't hurt though.
    If NARGC spent more of their resources controlling mink/grey squirrel as they do releasing non-native pheasant/red-legged partridge, that would be a help to all irish native wildlife. I do realise they do try and control mink/grey squirrel.


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    #31
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 3,518 ✭✭✭ [Deleted User]


    I think we need tighter customs here. We're a small Island with some great flora and fauna. I don't understand how we can let that be threatened.


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