Squirrels - red or grey, on the railways or otherwise: merged topic

[whole diary]

[grahame]

I'm still trying to think of a suitably crypt-ic clue...

http://www.bristolfloatingharbour.org.uk/harbour-trails/heritage-trails/railway-route/

"Below the railings here can be seen the eastern mouth of the railway tunnel underneath St Mary^s churchyard"

Purely from the logic of the clue - the tunnel on the harbour railway that used to link towards Temple Meads?

[chuffed]

Let's all hope he didn't fall over a Cliff !

[JayMac]

Or perhaps a cliffe. 

[Red Squirrel]

I'm still trying to think of a suitably crypt-ic clue...

http://www.bristolfloatingharbour.org.uk/harbour-trails/heritage-trails/railway-route/

"Below the railings here can be seen the eastern mouth of the railway tunnel underneath St Mary^s churchyard"

Purely from the logic of the clue - the tunnel on the harbour railway that used to link towards Temple Meads?

That'll be the one. Well done sir.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the Western Daily Press:

Hugh Fearnley-Whttingstall adds fresh squirrel to the menu

Television chef Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall has added fresh grey squirrel braised in a tomato and red wine sauce to the menu of his Devon restaurant.

The unusual dish appears on the River Cottage Canteen menu in Plymouth as the food world is still reeling from the horsemeat scandal reports the Daily Mail.

"It will be interesting to see how the guests react to it, because it is nice for us to offer something different,' said front of house manager Marie Mitchell.

Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall believes in promoting wild food from sustainable source.

Would you eat squirrel?

[Red Squirrel]

I wonder how many takers Mr Fearnley-Whittingstall would get it he called it by its proper name: American Tree Rat.

The fewer, the better, say I.

[JayMac]

I've had squirrel in Bristol. Slightly sweet taste, somewhere between lamb and duck.

Squirrel burger from a deli in St Nicholas Market. Not been there recently, but they had squirrel on the menu way back in 2010.

HFW has also had squirrel on the menu of his River Cottage Canteen in Whiteladies Road, Bristol since it opened in early 2013.

[Chris from Nailsea]

Hmm.   I rather think we need to distinguish between the flavours of red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) here. 

[JayMac]

Anyone killing and eating red squirrel would be in a lot trouble. Protected species.

Everyone can do their bit in protecting the red squirrel, by eating the grey ones. 

[TonyK]

Anyone killing and eating red squirrel would be in a lot trouble. Protected species.

Everyone can do their bit in protecting the red squirrel, by eating the grey ones. 

I have been active in conservation of both species. Pickling works best for greys, whereas light smoking over hickory suffices for the sweeter and more tender red.

That aside, it is illegal under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to release a grey into the wild after trapping it DEFRA's guidelines prohibit drowning as inhumane, favouring shooting in the cage by a competent gunman (not that dodgy guy with the car with the tinted windows, rumoured to have an Uzi in the garden shed), or that old classic, the blow on the head, delivered after letting the squirrel "escape" into a sack. Lethal injection is off for the moment, because of controversy over the drug mix, lack of supplies, and the effect on the flavour.

I have seen a red squirrel only once since I was a child, and that was in a park in Prague, where I also saw a black squirrel. The latter is now causing concern in some parts of mainland Europe.

[Chris from Nailsea]

From the BBC^» (British Broadcasting Corporation - home page):

Prince of Wales orders grey squirrel cull on estate


Prince Charles has ordered a cull of grey squirrels on Duchy of Cornwall land

The Prince of Wales has ordered a cull of grey squirrels on the Duchy of Cornwall estate in an attempt to protect the indigenous red variety.

The estate will employ "humane and lawful" methods to control the grey population.

Grey squirrels carry a poxvirus which is deadly to the red species. There are thought to be approximately 2.5 million grey squirrels in Britain compared to an estimated 140,000 red squirrels.

A spokesman for Prince Charles said: "The red squirrel is a most cherished and iconic national species, and, as patron of the Red Squirrel Survival Trust, The Prince of Wales keenly supports all efforts to conserve and promote their diminishing numbers. Where appropriate, this includes the humane and lawful control of grey squirrels as well as other measures to enhance the natural habitat of reds across the Duchy of Cornwall estate, in accordance with established estate management practices."

The Forestry Commission said grey squirrels were "extremely destructive" in woodlands and have a "major impact" on conservation, biodiversity and sustainability.

[TonyK]

I'm with His Royal Highness on this one. The humane fashion of removing them that I have witnessed in the past involves a long spindly pole, used to poke at the drey in the trees, and a shotgun, deployed in the traditional manner. It can cause some minor short-term damage to the tree in question, but certainly causes major long-term damage to the arboreal offender.

I heard a recipe that involved pressure cooking the beast in Hereford cider (I'm sure Somerset's own can be used also), then making a pie involving the squirrel meat, some of the cooking liquor, wild mushrooms, and a suet pastry. It was on Radio 4, and smelled delicious.

[The Tall Controller]

Looks like Squiggle's days are numbered......

(Station squirrel at Bodmin Parkway!)

[JayMac]

Semi-serious suggestion here. Bring back the Tufty Club and refocus it on Red Squirrel conservation.

If we can teach them to cross the road safely, I'm sure we could teach them self defence against the yankee interlopers. Maybe even arm them so they can help in the extirpation of Sciurus carolinensis.

[bobm]

I still have my Tufty Club badge... not that that means much as you can buy the same for 99p on eBay!