Nature Features

I had an encounter with a juvenile squirrel a couple of years back and it trusted me enough to climb up and sit in the palm of my hand. It climbed into my hood and went to sleep. I was fascinated with it.

Then last year I started filming a squirrel that visited my garden, out of pure curiosity. I filmed from my window as I didn't want to scare it away – I put the squirrel's welfare first. Bill Oddie and I like to say: "I don't like to deter squirrels, because I find them entertaining."

Adam taking pictures of the squirrels

The squirrel was gathering leaves and grass for a dray it was making in the roof of my neighbour's garage. I filmed her making her nest, which went on for days and days.

I watched her stealing my neighbour's fat-balls off their pear tree and I put out a 'daily' mixed nuts selection for the squirrel. I read that a lot of peanuts can be bad for squirrels and it's best to feed them a mixture of nuts and fruit like apples and grapes.

Squirrel antics

I filmed the squirrel's antics for just over a year.

At the end of this summer I noticed that my resident squirrel was acting a bit odd (thrashing and flicking it's tail around in the air) while she was sat on the fence near to where the dray is situated.

I looked up at my neighbour's garage roof and there poking out of the gap between the gutter and the eves were 4 little squirrel heads.

Squirrel in Adam's lap

Baby/juvenile squirrels are known as kittens, I think they're more like pups myself, but there you go.

The squirrel had gone un-named for quite a while and so I finally named her 'Squib'.

I'd bought a little camera that can wirelessly transmit to a receiver that can be plugged into a PC, TV, DVD recorder or being a bit retro a 'VCR'.

Undercover filming

I waited one day for Squib to be away from the dray and I wedged the camera in between a gap in the garage roof.

Webcam image of Squib

Peering in on the secret lives of my squirrel family, I recorded what was going on in the dray.

Squib's kittens were funny – playing a little at first and making noises at Squib. I realised they'd climb inside the actual garage, so I had a look and it was funny seeing Squib running around inside the garage.

Squib a.k.a mother squirrel, chewed holes in the wood between the gutter and the garage roof - in preparation of her babies leaving home or for their little adventures out of the dray.

Webcam image of Squib

Squib would take pieces of nuts to the dray now and again for the kittens to eat, but the kittens mostly ate the nesting materials after suckling from Squib.

They eventually went one by one. Squib communicated it was time for them to leave by flicking her tail. They had officially left the dray by late September.

Squib becomes homeless

My neighbour said she was sick of Squib chewing the wood of the garage roof and the odour the dray was giving off, so the garage roof was boarded up.

Squib's new home is in a dray in some trees lining the River Rea, across the road from where I live.

I do think it's kind of harsh people see squirrels as vermin, I've enjoyed watching Squib and her family.

Adam Canning.

Take a look at Adam's footage of Squib on YouTube.

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Tip for protecting your bird nuts:

If you've got a problem with squirrels eating your bird food, here's a tip from the RPSB.

Strong chilli powder or pepper sauce (eg. Tabasco) can be dusted onto your bird food. Birds are not bothered by the chilli, but squirrels cannot put up with the burning sensation, and will leave the food alone. For further tips see the RSPB website.