Thread: Those damn squirrels!

Supporting our squirrel population, they've just about finished these bananas, yesterday on a jungle expedition over the back fence, further back from these trees, i found and uncovered a huge bunch wrapped in vines, that's the wildlife fed for a while

and in partnership with the squirrels - - once they leave their banana snacks, we've seen a pair of birds cleaning up the now opened bananas.
Hear them more often than see them, I'd thought a type of pheasant, now we know:

Greater coucal
Centropus sinensis
Thai: นกกระปูดใหญ่)

The greater coucal or crow pheasant (Centropus sinensis), is a large non-parasitic member of the cuckoo order of birds, the Cuculiformes. This is a large species of cuckoo at 48 cm. The head is black, upper mantle and underside are black glossed with purple. The back and wings are chestnut brown. A widespread resident in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia, it is divided into several subspecies, some being treated as full species. They are large, crow-like with a long tail and coppery brown wings and found in a wide range of habitats from jungle to cultivation and urban gardens. They are weak fliers, and are often seen clambering about in vegetation or walking on the ground as they forage for insects, eggs and nestlings of other birds.

^ how do they taste?

^^ We get a few of these about the place... they have a wonderful call.




There is a big tree just outside our perimeter wall where I think the squirrels have their drey.



It looks to me that they may live in the fork of these branches. The problem I have is that the branches of this tree merge with the branches of our longan tree, the branches of which in turn merge with the branches of our jack fruit tree.



So the squirrels have a 'tree bridge' into the garden and it's impossible to keep them out.



I'm not prepared to kill them so we will just have to learn to share. I haven't mentioned this to the wife though. The dogs may occasionally get lucky but there's nothing I can do about that... that's between the dogs and the squirrels.

These small white egg-shaped things scattered around the floor at the base of one of our jack fruit trees are jack fruit seeds. This only means one thing... that one of the jack fruits has been nailed by the squirrels. The gardener had thoughtfully placed protective plastic bags around a couple of jack fruit close to the ground and I must admit that while I appreciate we live in Isaan and they have their own practices, I have my own thoughts about this. For one, there isn't a chance in a million that the squirrels will go for low hanging jack fruit within reach of the dogs. Also, I would have thought that any self-respecting squirrel will just gnaw through the plastic if it fancies the jack fruit... the plastic just falls apart after a few weeks in the sun anyway. But as I mentioned elsewhere, the gardener is determined to make this place look like a rubbish tip.



Not surprisingly the jack fruit seeds came from one of the 15 or so unprotected jack fruit, high up in the tree, that has been nailed by the squirrels. All the dogs can do is just watch and bark.

Mendip
It could be worse at our place the BIL's cows come in the back gate and eat the low hanging jackfruit and I might add any that the BIL knocks down.

Originally Posted by prawnograph

I'd thought a type of pheasant,

According to Wiki, early arrivals in India thought they might be pheasants, so killed them to eat. To answer Topper's questuion, they reportedly taste vile.
There are quite a few around here and they are happy to walk away rather than fly if they don't need to. They also seem to eat just about anything, I have seen one with a small snake.

Originally Posted by Topper

^ how do they taste?

obviously not very nice or the Thai's would have caught them, which would be easy as they run on the ground a lot and eaten them all.

Those coucals are horrible things. They watch bird nests until the babies hatch then come in and eat the helpless chicks. If only I had my pump BB rifle here in Thailand there would be fewer around here.

Originally Posted by misskit

Those coucals are horrible things. They watch bird nests until the babies hatch then come in and eat the helpless chicks. If only I had my pump BB rifle here in Thailand there would be fewer around here.

You have to hold on to your emotions, leave the birds be and let nature take its course, MK.

There's a reason it's called wildlife.

Originally Posted by misskit

They watch bird nests until the babies hatch then come in and eat the helpless chicks.

Nature, red in tooth and claw. Nestlings are a snack for snakes and rats, probably tokays too. And don't get me started on domestic cats.
In UK, magpies are often seen in the earliest days of spring perched on the bare branches of tall trees, keeping watch. the research now suggests that they are mapping birds' nests before the foliage is too thick and that they can remember where those nests are.

The overgrown area behind the house, my goal is to clear the vines smothering the bigger trees, get clear space under the trees, otherwise leave it to nature.

The pair of coucals I don't mind - though I didn't know of their bad habits.

If only they ate cats, there's one stray that of all the places it could go chooses to crap in the rock garden area.

I won't start a thread "those cute squirrels" but this morning with daughter #1 at breakfast watching from the kitchen window 2 adult one junior bouncing around on the branches a reminder of why we built on the edge of town, spent some time earlier this year working back in my old life in Wellington NZ, small city, but not for me anymore.

Those damn/cute squirrels- having munched through every banana on one tree, they didn't touch the edible flower.

Originally Posted by prawnograph

Those damn/cute squirrels- having munched through every banana on one tree, they didn't touch the edible flower.

Yeah, but those damn wives will soon nail that banana flower!

Once it was started on, that jack fruit lasted only two days. Now only the skin is left.



The dogs watch the squirrels come and go above ground, through the trees, and it drives Yogi mental.

I went down to see the chickens this morning and saw this, which only means one thing...



Those damn squirrels had visited during the night. We picked most of the jack fruit last week despite some not being fully ripe yet. It was the only way to save them.



I went to look at my beans and to my amazement, looked up and saw this.



They've become very bold and the dogs don't even bother trying to chase them any more. I shouted and he ran off.

I looked up again a few minutes later...



That's two for sure and there's also a yellow one around as well. We seem to be supporting a whole family of squirrels.

Originally Posted by Mendip

We seem to be supporting a whole family of squirrels.

and they are calling and texting friends and neighbors telling them all about the good pickings at Chez Mendy.




Perhaps cooking a a nice pot of this will make them think twice about raiding your rai.


Traditional Brunswick Stew (Appalachian Squirrel Stew)

^ I'm way too soft to kill one AO but if the dogs ever do get lucky I may well give that recipe a go!

Originally Posted by aging one

Perhaps cooking a a nice pot of this will make them think twice about raiding your rai.

Even the Isan gf hasn't mentioned eating them, which is a surprise. Usually any wildlife I point out gets a response about how it can be eaten. To be fair, she leaves it there, I don't have to deal with cauldrons full of witches' brew in the outside kitchen.

The bold squirrel.
Pic from the kitchen window, tree just over the fence less than 4m away; gave us a glance, decided no threat, and continued eating.

^
No chance. Over the wall civilisation ends and it's our wildlife reserve and entertainment; five squirrels, birdlife incl Grand Coucals, the scary pond, depth unknown and home to possible monsters (if a croc wanted a home, this would be ideal) white herons (in NZ known as kōtuku), various other long-legged water/heron type birds, occasional visits from a Greater Racket Tail Drongo (pic below, not my own photo). We've recently had a Brahminy Kite circling but the pond is too small and enclosed by trees.

More than enough fruit to go around. There's four banana trees in fruit at the moment and an endless supply of papaya, we give them away. Or in the case of the last bunch, they just disappeared one day, can't blame squirrels for that one.

A Drongo. The Lesser Racket Tail Drongo doesn't have the head-crest

Traveling squirrels, thought we may have been followed - stopped for a break in KL Botanic Gardens last month and became aware we were under observation

^ The squirrel was looking for your nuts .......

Originally Posted by prawnograph

^
No chance. Over the wall civilisation ends and it's our wildlife reserve and entertainment;

Same here Prawnograph. Our garden is a sanctuary.

The mango trees at the front have a few developing young mangoes which have caught the attention of the squirrels. They use the perimeter wall as a safe thoroughfare to get around, much to the frustration of the dogs who go absolutely mental when they spot a squirrel running along, out of reach.

One of the neighbour's has taken to leaving out traps for the squirrels but I sabotage them and I don't think he's caught one yet.

Originally Posted by hallelujah

You have to hold on to your emotions, leave the birds be and let nature take its course, MK.

There's a reason it's called wildlife.

Certainly not comprehended, whatsoever, throughout particular circles.
One of many reasons why closed tribes are in such a mess.