THE terseness of the text message belies the emotion that Bernie the Squirrel Man will be feeling: ‘Regret to inform you dead red found on Arbigland yesterday. Suspected squirrel pox; we have sent to lab, will let you know results.’ It’s a bitter blow after all our trapping of the grey invaders, especially by Bernie and other dedicated volunteers. The assumption had been that the local grey population is free of pox. That theory is quashed when the lab report comes back a few days later.
It may not be terminal for Nutkin, however. Nature allows perhaps 5% of red squirrels to survive the pox and pass on a resistant gene to their offspring. There is a small chance if we can keep killing the greys, but trapping is fraught with danger for reds, a percentage of which die of stress when trapped.
Meanwhile, there is mixed news on the Green State’s preferred weapon of choice, the pine marten. It is appearing to our north since its reintroduction, which may yet be seen as an act of state-sponsored terrorism on our fauna. Although it is undoubtedly true that grey squirrels are more susceptible to pine martens than reds, which have evolved alongside them, I suspect the last red-squirrel drey in Dumfries and Galloway, if it comes to that, is most likely to be predated by a pine marten.
Denne historien er fra March 15, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra March 15, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Tales as old as time
By appointing writers-in-residence to landscape locations, the National Trust is hoping to spark in us a new engagement with our ancient surroundings, finds Richard Smyth
Do the active farmer test
Farming is a profession, not a lifestyle choice’ and, therefore, the Budget is unfair
Night Thoughts by Howard Hodgkin
Charlotte Mullins comments on Moght Thoughts
SOS: save our wild salmon
Jane Wheatley examines the dire situation facing the king of fish
Into the deep
Beneath the crystal-clear, alien world of water lie the great piscean survivors of the Ice Age. The Lake District is a fish-spotter's paradise, reports John Lewis-Stempel
It's alive!
Living, burping and bubbling fermented masses of flour, yeast and water that spawn countless loaves—Emma Hughes charts the rise and rise) of sourdough starters
There's orange gold in them thar fields
A kitchen staple that is easily taken for granted, the carrot is actually an incredibly tricky customer to cultivate that could reduce a grown man to tears, says Sarah Todd
True blues
I HAVE been planting English bluebells. They grow in their millions in the beechwoods that surround us—but not in our own garden. They are, however, a protected species. The law is clear and uncompromising: ‘It is illegal to dig up bluebells or their bulbs from the wild, or to trade or sell wild bluebell bulbs and seeds.’ I have, therefore, had to buy them from a respectable bulb-merchant.
Oh so hip
Stay the hand that itches to deadhead spent roses and you can enjoy their glittering fruits instead, writes John Hoyland
A best kept secret
Oft-forgotten Rutland, England's smallest county, is a 'Notswold' haven deserving of more attention, finds Nicola Venning
