Squirrel

[Tringa]

I know its a grey and an alien, but I find it hard not to like them, even if they dig up bulbs and eat/destroy every hazelnut on the tree, every year!



f8, 1/320s, 200mm, ISO 1600

All comments welcomed

Dave

[DorsetDunk]

....hmm i have great difficulty liking them my seed/nut bill used be around £9 a week due to them, not adding into account the destruction of feeders and the time and effort thinking up more elaborate ways to stop them getting a free meal which ended up disturbing the birds even more with their presence with squirrels springing every which way on lengths of knicker elastic
nope i have no friendly feelings toward the tree rat and there numbers really need to be controlled being cute fluffy and photogenic has not done our native wild life any favours
its a pity they don't have beady little red eyes horns a forked tail and the ability to scream like a banshee all night long them maybe the general public would be not so accommodating to them

[Farplace]

Lovely picture Dave

[jaelen]

I can understand DorsetDunk's sentiments... I've been having quite a battle with the furry little tree rats, too (have discovered that vaseline- marinated with very hot chopped up chillies smeared on the bird station pole- is NOT appreciated by squirrels AT ALL )

but when I'm in the park, I'm as bad as a child when it comes to giving them monkey nuts... they are cute and soft, and get away with murder, basically.

I think it's a really nice capture, Tringa- I wish I could give advice on the settings, but that's something I'm still struggling to understand. Numbers and me don't get on at all.

The detail of his fur is lovely- all beautifully in focus, (and that's not easy to do with creatures that are notoriously twitchy ). The only fault I can see is in the lighting... a bit of sun would have picked out the red highlights on him really nicely, but I know that's something that those of us trying to photograph wildlife in the UK often have to do without!

All in all, I think it's a good photo of a (sometimes unpopular) wee beastie.

[Tringa]

Thanks for the comments all. I was happy to see that my 30 year old lens is working well.

The only way we have kept the beasties away from the bird seed is to put the feeders in cages. Initially expensive but worth it in the long run.

Dave

[JaySteel]

Grey squirrels are an absolute pest! A nuisance wherever they spread. . . . But I still think they're adorable and love having them in my garden!


Jason