Eats Shoots & Leaves

[Thunderbird+]

It's often puzzled me why Grey Squirrels bother to chew off bunches of hazel nuts, gnaw a hole in the shell even though the nuts are still green, imature and empty ?
It seems like an obsessive compulsive disorder, any thoughts on this ?

[Clanad]

Good question T-bird... we have several large white oak trees and, although they are my favorites, I dread late July since that's when the acorns begin falling. The squirrels (we have five varieties) go crazy of course. The first ones to fall (nuts, not squirrels), like your hazel nuts, are immature, small and green... no matter, the squirrels either gnaw off the shell and bury them (can they possibly remember the location of all the buried nuts come winter?) or simply sit on their haunches looking (at least to me) quzzically at the emptiness in their paws, wondering, I suppose, where did the "stuff" go. (Then, there's the pulling up of all the oak seedlings from the strangest places, next spring.)

By the way, the most hilarious part of the show is when the big red fox squirrels repeatedly traverse the yard picking up more and more nuts until his jaw sacks simply can't hold anymore, and yet still trying to tuck one more in. Often, the try to carry one in a front paw... limping along all the way to their home tree... greedy little critters, no?
At any rate, it's somehow reassuring to know that nut producing trees, squirrels and observers of nature's comedy are the same on both sides of the Atlantic... (no real answer for you, was there?)...

[Lonnie]

Hi Tbird and Clanad,

Sorry for coming onto this post, but the little Bruggers have stripped my Walnut tree, again, apart from shooting, any advise on a deterrant would be appreciated.

[Thunderbird+]

Hi Clanad, thanks for your answere, I was interested to learn that the US grays behaved in a similar way to the UK greys. I thought maybe they were out of tune in an alien landscape and may be more in sync with the seasons back in their native home lands.
They put me in mind of kids,about a week before Christmas and just cant wait to unwrap the goodies.

Hi Lonnie, Yes they do seem to destroy more than what they eat, I guess they have their own reasons for that.
The trouble is, what ever method of control man may deem neccessary, more will soon move in to fill the space.
I,ve managed to rig up a "squirrel baffle" to deter them from using my bird feeders but I imagin protecting a whole tree from the little ******* is another kettle of fish. Thahks both Tbird+