NATURE COLUMN: Bill Cawley

I SAW a grey squirrel the other day on a wall close to the Council Offices in Leek.

It did not seem to want to shift as it gave cheekily gave me the eye.

It stood its ground as I got closer before racing off. Grey Squirrels are a common sight in the parks of our towns, perhaps the only sign of the natural world that many see.

It is not a particularly welcome one for some who regard it as an environmental disaster on four legs.

Grey squirrels have been part of the scene since the late 19th century.

They are not a native species and were bought over from North America.

They were first released according to the records at Henbury in Cheshire in 1876 by a member of the Brocklehurst family.

It is a dubious title to hold as the grey squirrel is considered vermin.

The introduction of the grey had a devastating impact upon the native red squirrel. The grey carries a disease to which they have grown immune, but often kills the red.

Grey squirrels are more like to eat foods that the red are dependent on.

The breeding rates of the red have also declined sharply under the pressure of the advancing North American cousin who is bigger and stronger than the native squirrel in competition for resources.

However, an unlikely ally for the red has been the re-emergence of the pine marten that recent research shows is preying on the grey more than the native red.

The marten prefers the grey as they are larger and therefore a better energy source.

It might also be the case that the red squirrel having shared the same British landscape as the marten is more vigilant to the threat posed by weasel- like creature than the ‘new kid on the block’ relative in natural terms and are unaware of the threat posed by the marten.

Another approach to the threat posed by the grey is to eat them.

It would seem to be a myth that Elvis Presley favourite dish was fried squirrel.

He only ate squirrel as a last resort as a poor boy living in rural Mississippi.

However, squirrel is becoming a popular free-range meat, low in fat and easily obtainable. Apparently it has a nutty flavour.

Eat a grey and save a red has been suggested as a patriotic rallying cry.

Sometimes, however they are known to strike back.

In 2001, Yorkshire inventor Mike Madden was trying out a birdfeeding station attached to his hat.

The hat was designed so that birds could feed from it when conditions turned wintry on country walks.

A squirrel seeing the nuts on (and under) the hat launched an attack on the luckless inventor, knocking him to the ground, causing whiplash injuries.

Madden retreated to his home – Crackpot Cottage near Huddersfield – to work on another project, a suit made from bubble wrap to protect people who fall over frequently.