Is it OK to feed my little garden squirrel?

Sorry to hear this Tracy. Some people are never happy and cause upset and distress to others, not realising the hurt it can cause. You can feed birds in your own garden, if you want to cut back and make things easier, you could always just throw out a handful of seeds, that way no equipment to clean and you can still see them but small scale. As for the squirrels burying the nuts in the neighbour's garden! Some like it others would not be bothered. Good luck and hope you get better soon.

They are mad at me throwing out seed. A neighbour marched in and gave me a row. I was terrified. I just went to pieces. She picked up the tray with their seed and told me this better stop! They are a rough bunch who will sit out in the sun and get drunk and the noise is awful. I was wary of them all. They are loud and tough. Not everyone is the same. But they have teamed together and I am frightened. They are talking about me and there is nothing I can do. They were funny towards me even before I fed birds and squirrels. I think they see I'm different and have problems with my confidence. I do not have family or support. The animals were a little bit of joy for a time. I will miss the pigeons little cheeky faces peering in from my porch patiently waiting for me to feed them in the morning. And the lovely gentle cooing which is so peaceful and soothing. They are so clever and they haven't made any mess. They sometimes poo the feeders but they perch up on the roof. But the lady next door is apparently is petrified of birds especially pigeons. She went on about them being filthy vermin and carrying disease. I couldn't say anything because I was shocked and frightened and close to tears. It's the pigeons I adore. I was even going to buy them a feeding trough. It was hilarious watching them in the tray pecking. And the noise of the pecking had me in stitches! I will miss Hamish the squirrel who snarls and chases any squirrel that comes into the garden. He is fiesty and comical. The hilarious noise of him cracking open the peanut shells and eating with his little hands. Watching his antics and the laughter when four crows gave him a pecking to teach him a lesson because he goes for birds as well if he is in a bad enough mood! Crows are so amazing and smart, so he got a taste of his own medicine. They didn't harm him, just a good pecking, I think his ego was hurt. Watching him Bury his peanuts had me laughing, it's the way they use their hands to do it. The digging and then the patting and covering. It's so funny and had me in fits of laughter! I have never seen anything so funny that and his face poking out the hole on the squirrel hut. I was laughing almost till I cried. He has never been too sure of the hut but that day he sat watching out the hole. He is beautiful. A wee red head boy who I'll miss. I know that animals and birds are smart and they will survive fine but yes for the first time in my life I have had a some fun and laughter. I can't share my reason why, but it was good to have a purpose and some real laughter and things to care about. I care deeply. I'm broken hearted but I need to think of myself now and respect my neighbours no matter what. I prefer to live at peace and respect their boundaries. I just need to get better. My gp is aware I'm very ill and is dealing with my medication and stuff so I can get some sleep. Physically with rest in bed things will settle. I have support coming soon so I just need to rest for now. Thanks so much for your help and support. It's strange that most of the neighbours feed birds. And quite a few scatter food and feed the squirrels. But I won't say a thing. They are all friends. However I can't say anymore than that.

Hi
So many people have an inexplicable hate for the grey squirrels. I think it comes from the misconception that the greys were responsible for the demise of the red squirrels from most parts of the UK. The red squirrels were already under serious threat due to mass deforestation across the UK. Red squirrels have a much more specialised diet than the greys need more space and are less successful reproduction rate than the greys. Whether the reds would still be a countrywide resident is doubtful the introduction of the far more successful grey squirrels just speeded up their demise which was happening because of human activity.
I go down to a local park were there are lots of squirrels and leave a small handful of peanuts in trees, usually in the fork between 2 trunks. Then after walking around the park I sit quietly with the remaining nuts on the seat next to me and after a while one or two will venture close enough to "steal" one from the bag. There is nothing wrong with the squirrels with regards the pest control people. They can only work where they have authority by the land owner which in the case of local authority that would also be restricted to areas he has been assigned to clear of specific pests.

Tracy Gilbert said:

Mike these are amazing videos! I am so ill just now but I loved the first one with the black bird. I have a lot of Siskins. They are beautiful and I have a video of them eating. I feed them sunflower hearts and they are such laid back little birds. They all perch happily on the seed feeders eating away. I get amused at the sound of the sunflower hearts cracking in their little beaks when they eat. I have some Goldfinches too. The occasional black bird. The Starlings like their suet which keeps them busy squabbling even though there is plenty, plus it keeps them away from the little birds. They mimic other bird calls, they are very clever. The pigeons all recognise me. They wait for me everyday up on the porch peering in cooing peacefully away. Their little faces with their orange eyes. They are the ones I'm closest to out of my garden visitors and the ones I'm most fond of including the squirrels. I have Hamish, and still the little male who I will call Peanut and a female who is lactating. I think she has a nest over in the woods. That's where they all come from and race back to if they get startled and at the end of the day. The pine trees they live in are plentiful and extremely tall. I watched a squirrel run up one recently. The woodland is dense and wild with a mixture of different trees and bushes, perfect for wildlife and its a squirrel paradise! I will certainly enjoy the rest of your videos when I am better. Thanks so much for sharing. So encouraging.

Thank you.

Sorry for the late reply, I've been a bit busy with work, family and hospital, all positive stuff I'm happy to report.

Digressing, I may or may not have said, four years ago someone ran a red light while I was crossing the road, resulting in major lower leg reconstruction. It's been a long slow journey, and still a long way to go yet, but finally things are moving in he right direction.

Sadly as a species, many of us have become too detached from the real world, the one that we are destroying, in favour of the idealistic perfect world, which doesn't and never will exist, well, not in my eyes.

We have a neighbour at the back who has a set of giant wind chimes close to their house, and has now put one close to where our garden joins their's.

They chopped down a large shrub which not only gave both houses privacy, but nature some refuge. I've now had planted some new shrubs in my garden, to regain that privacy and also provide refuge for nature. These neighbours keep looking at it and I understand they're looking at chopping it down!

There'll be war if they do.

For me, grey squirrels are not native to this country, they were introduced in the late 1800's from the US. Sadly, as with many species innocently introduced they thrive and adapt a lot easier than our own native species.

That is no excuse for cruelty, nor would I condone it, we have had quite a few greys running around our garden, though I'm pleased to say, I think nature has taken its course and from what almost seemed an epidemic of 15 greys, has settled down to two pairs.

My observations are based on what I see and what the Bushnell Gardencam records.

I'm a believer in nature goes in cycles, some years are good ears for many species and vice versa, last year we hardly had any robins, this year, we have abundance.

However, man's intervention over the centuries hasn't done many species any favours, which is almost why red squirrels are struggling, among many other reasons. Sadly I don't see it getting any better in my lifetime.

You keep feeding those birds and greys Tracy, I doubt many people cocooned in their perfect utopia will ever see sense, but it's good to see many folk do see sense and try their best to fight for nature.

Gosh, you've been through the wars! I'm so sorry to hear about your struggles.

Hi Mike thanks for your sharing and kind words. I totally get what you are saying and I had to smile about you saying that there would be war if your neighbours chop down the shrub. In my situation I know I'm just being picked on for no real reason. It's just because I don't join in in my neighbours drinking binges and their loud cursing and swearing. They don't understand me that I'm quiet and have different interests from them, and being kind to animals and birds is one of them. I got my gardener to remove all the feeders. Garden seems so empty and boring. It's depressing! The birds have left. I'm gutted. I miss them, especially those pigeons. I know that they don't need me to survive, but it was heartbreaking when I initially stopped feeding the pigeons. They became very distressed and if they spotted me in my living room they flapped frantically up against it wanting fed! I have never seen birds distressed like this before. It was very upsetting, I cried and cried. The pigeons wrecked all my potted flowers near my window in their panic wanting food. It went on for days. I had no choice. Completely cruel to not give them their food. To suddenly stop it wasn't fair. But what can I do? We Hamish has been visiting wondering where his feeder is. Poor thing. I will donate all my feeders and bird food but not sure where yet. I tended to buy in bulk. So lovely to hear from you again and look after yourself my friend.

Thanks so much for your reply. I'm still heart broken especially as other neighbours feed pigeons and squirrels. It gave me a little bit of joy for a time. Something to look forward to each day. I agree with you about the gray squirrel. Another shocking thing is humans almost culled the red squirrels to extinction, because they too not so long ago were regarded as pest and vermin. There was even trophy hunting for their tails! I did some research online to find out about it. I love squirrels both gray and red. I am horrified with the new legislation in regards to the gray squirrel and was one of many people who signed the petition to prevent it going through. Its not so much the culling, but the law that prevents any injured and sick squirrels being released back to the wild. Its the cruelty involved. I have a problem with that more than anything. I love animals, yet I am not against eating meat. I eat it occasionally myself. The thing I really struggle with is the cruelty that goes on through the mass production and unnecessary deliberate cruelty. Whereas if it is done in a humane way that an animal does not suffer, then that is fine. I know I'm off on a tangent. I love the wildlife aid videos where wild animals are rescued, but sadly some animals can't be saved and have to be euthanized. I don't watch that part, but the rescuer, he has been rescuing animals for a few decades and he and the team get visibly upset to the point of tears any time they have to destroy an animal. But they do amazing work and will go to great lengths to help and to save wild animals. I feel so sad and frustrated with people's views on the gray squirrel. They say they are animal lovers, yet behave otherwise. And they don't have the facts. I follow several vlogs on YouTube, one in particular called Seymour the squirrel. The man rescued Seymour and his siblings as babies and was unsuccessful in releasing them back to the wild. So he kept them. He releases daily videos of Seymour in particular, up close eating his favourite avocado treat, and it's so stinking cute! Haha the noise of him eating, and the snarls if he thinks that anyone or anything will steal his treat. He is adorable! Absolutely heart melting stuff! And he loves being cuddled and rubbed and stroked, he just goes into an ecstatic state! Very sweet!

Tracy Gilbert said:

Gosh, you've been through the wars! I'm so sorry to hear about your struggles.

I've been lucky, I've a supportive family, a lot of good friends and work have been extremely supportive, which has helped a great deal to move forwards.

You keep feeding those birds and squirrels, enjoy what they do, and what a lot of people do not realise, they have feelings as well, they do think and they each have their own personalities.