Squirrels and nuts

29.06.2002

Ó Robert Burton

Grey squirrels can be destructive. (So can red squirrels but, being native and rare, they are forgiven.) To the traditional sin of damaging trees must be added the modern misdemeanour of destroying birdfeeders. There are squirrel-proof models on the market but I do not need them. My squirrels regularly feed on peanuts but this is not a problem because, so far (touch wood!), they have not caused any damage to the feeders. I am, however, rather annoyed with squirrels at the moment. Lots of small holes have been appearing in the lawn.

At first I thought these were the work of a green woodpecker drilling for ants but close examination reveals the two halves of  a hazelnut shell at each hole. The squirrels have been reclaiming the nuts that they buried with such industry last autumn.

At first sight, it seems odd for the squirrels to be recovering their nuts in June. Surely, food is hoarded for the hard times of winter? However, it seems that, unless crops of nuts and tree seeds fail, squirrels are well-fed through the winter and the time of famine comes later, after these foods are exhausted. Squirrels eat many different things, from baby birds to fungi, but nuts and seeds are their mainstay. Without this staple diet, they have to turn to other sources, such as cached nuts that had previously been overlooked. The odd thing is that, at the same time as the hazels are being dug out of my lawn, peanuts are being buried!