Usual suspects for walnut theft

QA squirrel has been raiding my neighbour’s walnut tree and burying them in their green shells in my lawn. Something is then coming along and digging them up. What might that be? There are magpies, jays and crows in the area.

RD, Leicestershire

AOne has to assume it is not your neighbour coming to retrieve his walnuts in the dead of night, so there are various likely culprits. The British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) says it could be any of the birds mentioned but, in particular, the jay. Jays frequently bury their bounty of acorns, often in a lawn. The jay is a watchful bird and is well-known for stealing other animals’ food, especially as they often forget where they buried it. Badgers could also be responsible, as they eat a variety of foods, from insects such as leatherjackets to fruit and vegetables. A lawn is a likely place to search for leatherjackets and as badgers are fond of nuts, the walnuts would be taken at the same time.