Grey Squirrel

John,
I am surprised by 6 views no comments.
I agree that it is a pity that it is not the native Red Squirrel, but considering their extreme rarity it is hardly surprising.
This is a real beauty, well captured in a great pose.

Just a beautiful capture John. Love the habitat around the squirrel. The pose is almost perfect. Well done.

Thanks both.
Appreciated
Yes Ken-Red would be nice but most are done at set ups or "pay to view" and  my budget doesn't go that far.
Cheers
John
 

John: a unique photo. Don't think I've ever seen one of a grey squirrel drinking. The light, subject and composition are all spot on. Too bad that the greys are invaders. Richard

John this is a really fine shot of this invader.  Sharp where it needs to be and with a good natural setting.

Thanks both.
Thinking about it-I,ve had them down to my pools quite a lot over the years.
 I usually make funny noises to scare them off !!
Cheers
JohnR

Very cool frame, Squirrel is very nicely placed in the frame. And love that bushy tail.

Jagdeep Rajput

Thanks Jagdeep
Glad you like it.
JohnR

Hi John,

Invader or not it is still a very solid image! The pose is excellent, techs are solid, and I like the almost complete "vignette" of green surrounding the squirrel. And I definitely prefer an "au naturel" photography over set-ups any day!

Thanks for sharing this one...

Brad

This is a really nice shot John.

Interesting and disturbing subject though. We consider these invaders in California and most of the Western U.S. as well. We call them Fox Squirrels, or Eastern Fox Squirrels. They have almost completely displaced the native Grey Squirrels in most of California. Wikipedia has a link to a paper on their invasiveness which I have included a small clip of here.

"TREE SQUIRRELS AS INVASIVE SPECIES: CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT IMPLICATIONS

GEOFFREY H. PALMER AND JOHN L. KOPROWSKI, School of Natural Resources, The University of Arizona, Tucson, Arizona, USA

TONY PERNAS, Florida/Caribbean Exotic Plant Management Team, The National Park Service, Miami, Florida, USA

Abstract: The impact of invasive species on native biodiversity is increasing worldwide. Mammalian invaders are formidable ecological and economic threats, and tree squirrels are models of such challenges. We review the worldwide distribution of tree squirrel introductions and detail their nearly universal success. The biological characteristics of tree squirrels that enable success as invasive species are: high reproductive potential, high vagility, diverse food habits, ability to construct nests, and plasticity in human-impacted landscapes....."

Hey Ed,

I think this is an Eastern Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) - a species which is an invasive in Britain. It has largely replaced their native red squirrel (S. vulgaris). You are spot-on regarding the impact they can have when introduced to areas with other smaller species of tree squirrels. In western Canada this same species has displaced our native red squirrels (Tamisciurus hudsonicus) in many cities (e.g., Vancouver, Calgary), but in rural areas the grays don't do well.

Cheers...

Brad

Thanks for the interest guys.  What ever they are over your way t5hey certainly are a pest here. Its got too far now and to eradicate them would be impossible. They don,t even have a viable  control programme any more. We hav up to a dozen in the garden at any one time.. Some of the squirrel proof  bird feeders are hilarious.
Thanks again.
JohnR

Thanks Brad. I did notice more grey along the flanks and the shoulder than the local fox squirrels.

Congrats on WP John!

Thanks Ed Just noticed-
Appreciated indeed
John