Natural History

Posted in golden retriever, Miley | Tagged golden retriever | 6 Comments

6 Responses

1. on April 27, 2013 at 8:52 pm Losech

   Conker’s got the same problem. He’s great at treeing and following, but won’t bark unless I bark first.

   
   
   • on April 27, 2013 at 10:23 pm Dave

     Is it even legal to shoot squirrels where you live?

     Shoot one for him when he barks…

     
     
2. on April 28, 2013 at 6:50 am chervilmeadow34

   Squirrels here in Britain are mostly long introduced american eastern greys and it’s open season on them all year. However, they do well to a fault and are a massive danger to the few remaining native red populations due largely to the greys being carriers of squirrel pox, a disease which must have evolved alongside them since the greys themselves are not particularly affected by it. Our only reds living safe from the greys live mainly on islands or isolated areas of conifer. From personal observation, it seems our deciduous forests get damaged but not fatally. The greys strip bark, which looks aesthetically bad, but falls short of killing the trees – mainly. However, many are worried about what damage greyt squirrels may be doing to our songird population through taking eggs and nestlings. There are small localised populations of greys in Italy and France, but so far they don’t seem to be spreading like they have done in the British Isles, so I hear.

   However, in Britain the main perceived problem is from the overpopulation of deer. In our village if you plant anything deer can eat then it’s gone. I’ve watched this happen gradually over recent decades, but now it’s reached the point when numbers need to be controlled quite drastically according to a wide consensus of opinion. The problem seems to be caused by overpopulation of all the common species, natives and immigrants alike, though maybe slightly more in the south of England by the spread of the asian muntjac with its evolved ability to squeeze through hedgerows and loose fences.

   
   
   • on April 28, 2013 at 7:30 am bearcoatpei

     I’m up in the North and have seen muntjac up here too. They’ve actually introduced roe deer into what was the old mining spoil areas and have reverted to rough meadows, woods and ponds. There are not huge numbers, but along with the rabbits, the deer think the graveyards are a well stocked buffet of flower beds and bouquets. The hares seem to favour the cricket ground to the cemetery.

     As for grey squirrels, the horrid little verminous bleeders are EVERYWHERE up here. You never used to see them up here up to about 10 to 15 years ago. The reds are really pretty, but the greys are just a rat with a bushy tail. And now the American mink the animal rights brigade released from fur farms have also spread into the area. I’m surprised we have any birds left at all between the two Yankie invaders. Shame the mink don’t eat grey squirrels really.

     
     
     • on April 29, 2013 at 11:08 am massugu

       Ya’ll might consider adding squirrel pie to the standard British menu.

       
       
3. on April 28, 2013 at 6:31 pm Judie Lewellen

   Miley is such a Beauty! My Sienna, a V, doesn’t bark either. But she killed 273 ground squirrels b/4 we lost the ranchette. I trapped over 100 in my have-a- heart and released them. Had to drive them about five miles away.or they’d come right back. Learned that by spray painting marks on them.

   
   

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