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Post by swebb99 on Sept 12, 2015 13:06:02 GMT
Hi I've attached a few pictures I took near the top of Moel Siabod in Wales, approximately 2500ft. Hopefully you can see the squirrel in the shot. There isn't a tree for probably a mile as the crow fly's and at least 1000ft further down the mountain. I wasn't aware there were such things as mountain squirrels, certainly in all my travels around the hills and mountains of the UK I've not seen one before this far from a tree. Not sure what he was eating up there. He seemed interested in me as he walked about me and between the rocks for a fair while. Does anybody know why a squirrel would be up here and is it previously observed behaviour ? Thanks Steve  DSC07059 by Wabi Gallery, on Flickr  DSC07052 by Wabi Gallery, on Flickr |
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Post by aeshna5 on Sept 12, 2015 18:21:35 GMT
It is a Grey Squirrel + it does look out of place there but it is a very invasive species which has colonised a large part of the UK in a relatively short time, no doubt travelling through some inhospitable terrain.
Their diet is pretty broad so may find enough food but may easily fall prey to a Buzzard, Fox,etc.
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Post by swebb99 on Sept 14, 2015 14:38:13 GMT
Yeah you maybe right however this was a hell of a way up a mountain which would have involved a fair amount of crossing grass, bog and so on and climbing well over 1000ft. I got the impression it was holed up in the rocks.
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Post by NellyDee on Sept 14, 2015 16:55:51 GMT
That is amazing - don't suppose someone caught it and took it up there? I cannot see that there would be much to sustain it.
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Post by Tringa on Sept 15, 2015 17:21:27 GMT
Very interesting observation Steve and, sorry I can't explain it. I can't find anything about gret squirrels in mountainous and non-wooded areas. The Mammal Society says -"Grey squirrels are essentially animals of deciduous woodland.", and I think most of us would agree with that view.
However, animals do, as you shot shows, sometimes turn up in odd places.
Dave
PS Welcome to WABI
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Post by NellyDee on Sept 16, 2015 8:26:13 GMT
Just a thought but another possibility was it was caught and then dropped by a raptor.
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Post by swebb99 on Sept 16, 2015 10:15:10 GMT
Yes I suppose it could have been but it didn't appear to have any marks or damage to it's fur.
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Post by NellyDee on Sept 16, 2015 10:22:04 GMT
Beginning to feel quite sorry for it, though up here (Scotland) there is a programme to trap and remove the grey to try and stop them progressing up the country and protect our red squirrels. Maybe someone on the programme could not bring themselves to get rid of the squirrel so dumped it on the mountain hoping nature would do the rest. Have just realised you are Wales so this wont apply.
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Post by dogghound on Sept 24, 2015 5:47:24 GMT
I would imagine that it's either become displaced by a territorial dispute or attempted attack by a predator or that it's actually post breeding/natal dispersion in which animals predominantly juveniles radiate from the breeding territory. They frequently travel across open group at this stage (hence the spike in road mortality in late summer). This is a little extreme but may explain it. It certainly won't last long in that habitat as it will likely starve with a lack of trees around. Plus it is very vulnerable to predators there.
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Post by swebb99 on Sept 24, 2015 21:13:02 GMT
I would imagine that it's either become displaced by a territorial dispute or attempted attack by a predator or that it's actually post breeding/natal dispersion in which animals predominantly juveniles radiate from the breeding territory. They frequently travel across open group at this stage (hence the spike in road mortality in late summer). This is a little extreme but may explain it. It certainly won't last long in that habitat as it will likely starve with a lack of trees around. Plus it is very vulnerable to predators there. Yes I'd say it would probably be 1.5-2 miles on the ground from the nearest tree's, a hell of a lot on grass and wet ground and height in that distance to. A massive walk for a squirrel that is for sure. It looked well fed when I saw it and I dropped some bits of food (banana, crisp, ....) and it didn't seem interested, not that I would expect ta squirrel to eat that stuff but if it was hungry I would have expected it to at least take a sniff. |
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Post by rowanberry on Sept 25, 2015 7:45:27 GMT
It could be a case of evolution in progress... in a few generations there will be the equivalent of Welsh chinchillas scampering about the foothills of Snowdonia.  |
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