Let me… invite you to enjoy the video below and come up with captions (should I have a competition?) for the following selection of images of a Grey Squirrel eating apple whilst visiting my garden earlier this week.
Being honest, I didn’t know they ate apples but it seems like they are not so popular with people growing them. I do know Grey Squirrels can be a serious pest but… you can’t tell me they aren’t entertaining to watch too 🙂
Living in Scotland , generally regarded as last stronghold (here in the UK) for native Red Squirrels which I adore to see BTW, I shouldn’t be enjoying seeing the Grey at all. However, I don’t see it often. They are such a brief visitor to my garden (usually only in November for a few days) I can’t bring myself to dislike them.
I’ve added had fun with some upbeat background music here… watch the volume on your speakers 🙂
Doing the whole Yin & Yang thing I should promote a website that is protecting our wonderful, charismatic and threatened Red Squirrel. In all honesty, I do support our native Red whole heartedly and the link I am giving is to pages covering the whole UK.
It’s been a wild windy night here but I’m thrilled to share that I’ve seen some hedgehogs on my night cams tonight. That is great news! No video caught tonight but I did see two hogs visit last night and captured some video of them then 🙂
Now… the big question now is… would anyone want to be entertained by some live images of hedgehogs visiting my garden?
Oh yes… and to all my US blogging friends… hope you’ve enjoyed a great Thanksgiving 😀
This post was written by Shirley for shirls gardenwatch in November 2011.
"An apple a day keeps the eagle away." is my contribution to your lovely set of photos and video. The striped grey squirrel is a serious pest in my garden, but they are such cute pests!Like your hedgehogs, I have mongoose visitors.
Mmmm, this is a'peeling'! Great shots of the squirrel, I had no idea they would eat apples either!
Hi Shirl,
I too like Grey Squirrels, but then again they are one of my favourite animals; especially as a child and are actually where my alias comes from 🙂
Naturally I also love the reds and am seriously having withdrawl symptoms because I haven't been up to the highlands for a few years now… Must… see… Reds….
Hopefully next year!
I'm with you – I can't not like grey squirrels – we don't have many wild mammals visit the garden and not having any reds around here I just enjoy watching them.
Those little gray squirrels are entertaining. We have several that come to our feeders here. Happily we have had a fox squirrel in too. Like you say the Gray squirrels are so aggressive but at our feeders they seem to tolerate each other. Of course we want to see your hedge hogs. That is always a treat. Thanks for the well wishes. We had a great Thanksgiving. I shouldn't have to eat for two days. 🙂
It looks as if he got fed up at the end and dropped the apple, after a good sniff, eyeballing it, a tentative bite and then, "no..not eatin' dat" Big grin.
Beautiful shots of the squirrel Shirl.
I, by no means, grey squirrel but they have been the banes of my gardening life because they destroy the fruits of my efforts.
Living in Southern California, I nurture and tend to many wonderful fruit trees (2 apples, 1 guava, 4 figs, 1 plum, 2 peaches, 2 pears, 1 nectarine, 1 persimmon, 1 avocado). Well, entire families of grey squirrels come by and take a bite out of every single fruit on each of those trees and then they move on to picking at the produce of my vegetable garden (tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, green beans, sweet peas, etc.)
I have to agree that they are very entertaining and rather cute but I wish they would display those wonderful qualities elsewhere.
Grey Connoisseur Investigates – Apples
*Sniffs* Cox?
*Looks* Cox?
*Tastes* Cox?
*Dawns* Worcester!
*Spits* Yuck!!
Keep it up Shirl, Reds don't mind! 🙂
I grew up feeding grey squirrels at the Botanic Gardens in Edinburgh. My dad used to call them rats with tails! I've still got a soft spot for them….
You have captured the gray squirrel beautifully. I just posted about how my dog, Cooper, really hates these creatures. They rob the bird feeder. Their antics are quite funny to watch though.
Hello again everyone, hope you’re all having a good week 🙂
lotusleaf, lol… I was thinking on the same lines with the doctor. Thanks, it’s fun getting photos but I completely understand how much of a pest the grey squirrel can be too. Ah yes… I remember you mentioning your mongoose. Looking at images, I suspect they do a lot of digging and burying food too 🙂
Robin, ah…. Like that one. Thanks 🙂
Liz, ah… interesting! Yes, the reds are really quite special for me too. Further North, where I lived as a child the red was the norm for me. I miss it too. Hope you get to see it again in 2012 🙂
Sue,yes they can be fun as well as destructive. We’re lucky we have the fun version. I’ve heard of them chewing through outside wiring.
Lisa, ah from memory of photos in US blogs (I’m thinking MMD ) your fox squirrels are a pretty red in colour too. Interesting to hear they tolerate each other. Lol… guessing you’re back to normal eating now. Now, let me see what we can do about those (soon to be running out due to hibernation) evening hedgehog visitors 🙂
Brenda, lol… perhaps. I think I did see it taste the apple. When I arrived at window it already had it. Perhaps it didn’t want the peel. Thanks, it’s fun trying to capture images 🙂
Hanna, ah yes I was reading before I posted that fruit growers can have a hard time with damage/losses due to grey squirrels. I’ve seen one run away with a strawberry on a garden visit too. Apples were new to me this year. Didn’t know about the tomatoes etc… I can understand completely that you won’t see them as a welcome visitor.
Plucky,brilliant! 🙂
Janet, I get many searches coming to my blog looking for grey tree rats so they must be known as that in other countries too. Ah yes… the Botanics’ Greys. As sad above, I grew up with the Reds and on a visit to an Uncle in a Nursing Home in Edinburgh many, many years ago I can remember the great excitement at seeing a grey squirrel for the first time. I’ve enjoyed seeing them entertain in Edin Botanics many times over the years too. However… our poor little Reds… let’s have them back 🙁
Layanne, there visits are so brief here which in some ways is good for our native Reds. Must pop over to your blog and read about Cooper copes with your Greys 🙂
So jealous you've taken such beautiful photos! Whenever I try get close with my camera I spook them and they've gone before I can get the shot!
I do like grey squirrels. We used to live in a house where we had a regular grey visitor who became known as Cyril. I loved watching his antics. High wire washing line tricks, even nibbling through the bird feeder. We don't have any squirrels in my new garden and I really miss Cyril.