Red Squirrel

Mach Two

I have a red squirrel in my lawn for the last week or so. Yesterday I spotted it climbing up a tree with some twigs in its mouth. On closer investigation of the tree there seems to be a nest of some sort being built in between two large branchs. It is an ash tree. There is very little cover on the tree and therefore very little shelter. Is it possible that the squirrel is building a drey.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Sounds like a drey. They can have a few on the go at one time and use them through the winter. They often seem very exposed at this time of year but it shouldn't be a concern.

Lucky you!

Mach Two

Might not be so lucky for the squirrel. A buzzard also frequents the same tree. I can see everything from my kitchen table. Do they normally build at this time of year.

What would they use them for at this time of year. I did see it climbing up the tree and I went out for a closer look. Only it seemed to have dissapeared.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

They will build at any time and use them for shelter.

fryup

do they not hibernate?

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

fryup wrote: »

do they not hibernate?

No, it's one of the great fallacies. Squirrels become much less active in Winter but do not hibernate. Hence the cached nut supplies of autumn.

Mach Two

So a kind of a half way house so. What kind of volume would a drey have. I presume they start to breed in the spring.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Mach Two wrote: »

So a kind of a half way house so. What kind of volume would a drey have. I presume they start to breed in the spring.

They are about a foot in diameter. Breeding begins late winter or early spring and again mid summer.

Mach Two

Buzzard just after attacking the drey. If it is a drey. Went straight for it and clung on to it from the side. After about a minute the bird moved to the top. Another few minutes and it flew off.

fryup

does a drey have to be high up in a tree? or would they make one in a hedge or stone wall

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

fryup wrote: »

does a drey have to be high up in a tree? or would they make one in a hedge or stone wall

Yes, in a tree. Usually in the fork of a tree, or tight against the trunk, about two thirds of the way up - typically between 5 and 20 metres high.

Mach Two

My one is less than half way up. And in a fork of the tree. Some of my friends have very little regard for buzzards. After seeing what I have seen one would wonder how the squirrels survive. I suppose the squirrel will find somewhere else to build it's drey.

KevRossi

Did the Buzzard destroy the drey?

Mach Two

No. Not that I could see anyhow. Probably could not see anything in it so left. This time of year they might be under a bit of pressure for food sources. Virtually no young birds around.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Mach Two wrote: »

No. Not that I could see anyhow. Probably could not see anything in it so left. This time of year they might be under a bit of pressure for food sources. Virtually no young birds around.

Buzzards don't really rely on young birds for prey.

Mach Two

Mario Round Ratchet wrote: »

Buzzards don't really rely on young birds for prey.

Might not rely on them at any time of year but when young birds are about they are a great source of food for birds of prey.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Mach Two wrote: »

Might not rely on them at any time of year but when young birds are about they are a great source of food for birds of prey.

Not so much for buzzards - Excluding crow and pigeon - more Sparrowhawks and other birds of prey.

Mach Two

Mario Round Ratchet wrote: »

Not so much for buzzards - Excluding crow and pigeon - more Sparrowhawks and other birds of prey.

Any idea what sort of percentage of their diet would be crows.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Mach Two wrote: »

Any idea what sort of percentage of their diet would be crows.

It varies considerably by area and time of year. Their diet is extremely varied. If rabbits are plentiful then they will make up the bulk of their prey. Where small mammals are scarce they will turn to corvids and pigeons.

snowstreams

Im sad to say that the rabbits in my area died out about 4 years ago. Not sure why.
But buzzards have only really begun to populate my area since then.

I have red squirrels in my back garden too, but they are very fast, wary & hard to spot. I dont think cats can even get them.

baaba maal

Mario Round Ratchet wrote: »

Not so much for buzzards - Excluding crow and pigeon - more Sparrowhawks and other birds of prey.

Indeed. There is a stand of conifers behind me (2Ha) and a pair of buzzards spend time almost every day scoping out the woodpigeon nests in season- it is fascinating how the pair seem to work a buddy system of one swooping in close and the other hovering nearby as if they are flushing them out deliberately.

gozunda

snowstreams wrote: »

Im sad to say that the rabbits in my area died out about 4 years ago. Not sure why.
But buzzards have only really begun to populate my area since then.

I have red squirrels in my back garden too, but they are very fast, wary & hard to spot. I dont think cats can even get them.

Same happened locally. Noticible increase in fox population responsible imo.

Also red squirrels around here largely replaced by greys in last 10 years

snowstreams

Im west of the shannon, so I dont think there was ever and greys here.
But Im near the new m18 that was completed last year.
Once its building started, I noticed a lot of dead red squirrels on the roads around here and the population of them seemed to plumment.
Thankfully they seem to be recovering now.
The motorway kind of split the wood that they lived in.

As for the rabbits, I do regularly spot foxes in my garden. And i even had vixen with cubs once a few years ago.
So that could well be the cause!

Eddie B

snowstreams wrote: »

Im sad to say that the rabbits in my area died out about 4 years ago. Not sure why.
But buzzards have only really begun to populate my area since then.

I have red squirrels in my back garden too, but they are very fast, wary & hard to spot. I dont think cats can even get them.

Buzzards or fox's aren't responsible for the huge drop in rabbit numbers. RHD virus has decimated populations all over the country. Some area's have not been hit with it yet, and numbers of rabbits are fairly high in these area's. The simple fact is, that predators wouldnt hit a dent in rabbit numbers, where rabbits are healthy.

gozunda

Eddie B wrote: »

Buzzards or fox's aren't responsible for the huge drop in rabbit numbers. RHD virus has decimated populations all over the country. Some area's have not been hit with it yet, and numbers of rabbits are fairly high in these area's. The simple fact is, that predators wouldnt hit a dent in rabbit numbers, where rabbits are healthy.

Around here they are for certain. Massive increase in fox numbers & rabbit numbers plummeted. Friend who used to take the odd rabbit for the pot has reported absolutely no sign of disease or dead or dying rabbits locally. Interestingly foxes then moved on to wildfowl area once rabbits disappeared. I do a bit of bird watching and observed the change in predation.
Same happened in previous years with rabbit population eventually increasing over time once the numbers of foxes decreased. Fairly normal population dynamics.

Eddie B

gozunda wrote: »

Around here they are for certain. Massive increase in fox numbers & rabbit numbers plummeted. Friend who used to take the odd rabbit for the pot has reported absolutely no sign of disease or dead or dying rabbits locally. Interestingly foxes then moved on to wildfowl area once rabbits disappeared. I do a bit of bird watching and observed the change in predation.
Same happened in previous years with rabbit population eventually increasing over time once the numbers of foxes decreased. Fairly normal population dynamics.

You won't find sick or dying rabbits with RHD. Death is fairly rapid, with most rabbits dying underground. It would be crazy to think that fox's can wipe out large rabbit populations. Just doesn't happen.

gozunda

Eddie B wrote: »

You won't find sick or dying rabbits with RHD. Death is fairly rapid, with most rabbits dying underground. It would be crazy to think that fox's can wipe out large rabbit populations. Just doesn't happen.

The guy owned the land where there was previously a significant local population of rabbits which I referred to - so observed the predation at first hand. So no I don't doubt it at all. Foxes can and do wipe out large numbers of other prey species esecially where there has been increases in fox numbers leading to more predation and a bigger breeding population of foxes. It's not rocket science.

Did a bit of googling on RHD. What is intersting is that in a situation where there is increased predation by foxes - potentially it can also lead to a double whammy for any rabbit population.

The source of this disease in Ireland is likely the wild rabbit population. The virus is spread by biting insects or from direct contact with the urine or faeces of infected animals. It can be spread by predators such as crows or foxes. 

https://www.veterinary.ie/go/pet_care_notes/rabbits/rabbit-haemorrhagic-viral-disease-2-rhdv-2-important-information-for-owners-a-new-strain-of-rabbit-haemorrhagic-viral-disease-2-rhdv-2-was-identified-in-france-in-2010-in-2015-cases-were-confirmed-in-the-uk-and-in-october-2016-there-have-been

In this example fox populations decimate island populations of seabirds.

https://notexactlyrocketscience.wordpress.com/2006/08/16/the-fox-and-the-island-an-aleutian-fable/

Eddie B

gozunda wrote: »

The guy owned the land where there was previously a significant population of rabbits which I referred to - so observed the predation at first hand. So no I don't doubt it at all. Foxes can and do wipe out large numbers of other prey species esecially where there has been increases in fox numbers leading to more predation and a bigger breeding population of foxes. It's not rocket science.

Did a bit of googling on RHD. What is intersting is that in a situation where there is increased predation by foxes - potentially it can also lead to a double whammy for any rabbit population.



https://www.veterinary.ie/go/pet_care_notes/rabbits/rabbit-haemorrhagic-viral-disease-2-rhdv-2-important-information-for-owners-a-new-strain-of-rabbit-haemorrhagic-viral-disease-2-rhdv-2-was-identified-in-france-in-2010-in-2015-cases-were-confirmed-in-the-uk-and-in-october-2016-there-have-been

In this example fox populations decimate island populations of seabirds.

https://notexactlyrocketscience.wordpress.com/2006/08/16/the-fox-and-the-island-an-aleutian-fable/

Yes fox's can certainly put extra pressure on an already vulnerable rabbit population. Thing is, there has always been fox's, and always been lots of rabbits. Even with mixi, the rabbit populations bounce back pretty sharp. RHD can lay in burrows for a long long time. It can also be carried by stoats, ferrets etc, from an affected area, to a none affected area.

Mach Two

Thought my squirrel had left the scene since the buzzard invasion. But low and behold it is just after appearing. Came down from the vicinity of the drey. Jumped from the tree it was on to the next tree. Approximately 7' of a jump from one trunk to the other. They are some creatures to manoeuvre their way amongst the trees.

Mach Two

What do they eat during the summer when seeds are not available. Can I expect to see more of them or will this little fella stay around on its own.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Mach Two wrote: »

What do they eat during the summer when seeds are not available. Can I expect to see more of them or will this little fella stay around on its own.

Tree seeds (pine cones can hold seeds for years), fungi, berries, young shoots, even birds' eggs and nestlings.

New Home

I've seen cypress "pods" (not sure what they are actually called ) gnawed to bits - it took me ages to figure out who was eating them.

Ultimanemo

gozunda wrote: »

Same happened locally. Noticible increase in fox population responsible imo.

It became a pattern where I live, I spot a rabbit or two in my cameras, a day or two later I see a fox, then both vanish, a week or two later the same happens again

Mach Two

New Home wrote: »

I've seen cypress "pods" (not sure what they are actually called ) gnawed to bits - it took me ages to figure out who was eating them.

What does a cypress pod look like.

New Home

They look like this when they're green,



like this when they're mature and about to open,



and like this when they're dry and have fallen to the ground.



I've since discovered that a cypress "pine" cone (or megastrobilus) is called galbulus (the plural is galbuli).

Anyway, squirrels love them.

Mach Two

Mod Note: Comment Deleted

Mach Two

What are the chances of a second squirrel being around. Or do they break up for the winter.

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Mach Two wrote: »

What are the chances of a second squirrel being around. Or do they break up for the winter.

They may share a drey in winter, to keep warm but outside of mating they usually keep apart. The young are looked after by the mother alone. They are basically solitary creatures. But, quite likely there are others in the area.

Mach Two

Really bad news I am afraid. I was driving out the driveway and spotted a bushy tail on the ground waving in the wind. Seems the squirrel got hit by a car. Pity. I was really looking forward to seeing it around for the winter.

fryup

may he/she RIP

New Home

:(:( Hope s/he didn't suffer.

gozunda

Mach Two wrote: »

Really bad news I am afraid. I was driving out the driveway and spotted a bushy tail on the ground waving in the wind. Seems the squirrel got hit by a car. Pity. I was really looking forward to seeing it around for the winter.

Posted this found poem awhile ago. Strangely relevant....

https://touch.boards.ie/thread/2055790800/29/#post108647845

Mach Two

Thanks to everyone for sharing with me the wonders of our countryside. Hopefully another one will turn up. Happy Christmas to everyone too.