Dear Readers, the squirrels in our garden are definitely living their best lives: last week they got the last of the squishy raspberries and strawberries, and today they got the last few grapes that were a bit on the mushy side. And what a splendid example of the species this one is! Look at that magnificent tail, not to mention the rusty patches of fur.

Not everyone is delighted to see grey squirrels, however, so it was good to see that an important step has been reached in the creation of a squirrel contraceptive – apparently an oral contraceptive has been developed which can render both male and female rats infertile, and it’s hoped that this could be delivered via a specially-weighted feeding station in areas where grey squirrels are causing problems for woodlands, or for red squirrels. I do wonder if the removal of grey squirrels won’t cause a change in other aspects of the woodland ecology, but it’s preferable to shooting and trapping them, surely.

In the meantime, here’s a grey squirrel chomping some grapes. Make the most of it :-).