A welcome sight

There are many things I enjoy seeing on my daily walks but one of my favourite sights is the grey squirrel.  I often see one or two perched on a wall or a tree branch, eating food that has been left out for them.

Not everyones cup of tea

Whilst the squirrels look cute and harmless they are rodents and can cause a lot of damage if they get into your property.  They will chew through water pipes and electric cables or take up residence in your roof space.  Once they’ve made a home there they are really difficult to get rid of.

How big are they?

The grey squirrel is approx. 9.1 to 11.8 inches in length from its head to the end of its body.  Its tail is approx. 7.5 to 9.8 inches.  Its weight varies between 14 and 21 ounces.

Feeding – What do they eat?

They have quite a varied diet which includes nuts, buds, fungi, roots and they will occasionally eat birds eggs and chicks.  On a recent walk I took some dry breakfast cereal out with me and left it on a low wall.  After a couple of minutes two squirrels were sat on the wall eating it.  The grey squirrel is a scatter hoarder, meaning he collects food and stores it, sometimes leaving it for months before retrieving it.  They sometimes pretend to bury food to fool other squirrels who may be intending to steal it.

Breeding

Grey squirrels usually breed between January and April, and if food is plentiful they may breed again in the summer.  There are three squirrels in an average litter but there can be as many as nine.

Photo gallery

Clicking on any of the pictures below will open a gallery that you can scroll through.

Grey squirrels usually breed between January and April, and if food is plentiful they may breed again in the summer.  There are three squirrels in an average litter but there can be as many as nine.

Photo gallery

Clicking on any of the pictures below will open a gallery that you can scroll through.