The Squirrel War

Hello,

We are declaring war on squirrels, but not yet bringing out the big guns whatever that might be. My downstairs friend has devised a system of grids around her flowers hoping to deter any digging in those beds.

I still like to see them climbing around in the trees outside my windows, but when I see them on the ground I do not put on such a friendly face. I noticed a hole in the front bed where one surely took out something that I wanted such as a bulb of some flowering plant. Why do they not prefer weeds? Also why are they cute, creating mixed feelings when I see them out and about?

It seems to me the population keeps going up without natural enemies to keep them under control. Who are their natural enemies? Should we send out an invitation to those parties to come feast? Or perhaps we just want those enemies to pay a short visit. Seems to me we humans run into trouble when we introduce changes to the environment. The real trick is to co-exist without out being bothered to a large degree. It seems so interesting to me that we were never bothered by squirrels on the farm. It must be because they had plenty of room to live away from the house.

Chicken hawks were another issue. I remember seeing one swoop down and carry off a young chicken. My mother was quite upset by that. So much so, that I remember feeling afraid, but not quite sure why. Seems to me that the chickens were not allowed out for a longer period giving them some time to put on weight and be much harder to cart off.

Paula