A lot has been written about the spread of the North American signal crayfish (Pasifastacus leniusculus) into British rivers, and the detrimental effect it is having on our native white-clawed crayfish (Astacus pallipes). Evidently this is yet another example of an introduced species threatening an indigenous one, but are there any benefits in having these aliens in our rivers? My local river in north-west Suffolk has been colonised by signal crayfish which escaped from a local gravel-pit a number of years ago. Originally they were farmed as a culinary delicacy, but it is not just humans that appreciate their gastronomic properties.
In recent years I have found evidence showing that they are "enjoyed" by a number of our native animals and birds. Every spring the remains of numerous signal crayfish lie on the ground beneath our local heronry, and I have seen otters purposefully searching them out; judging by the abundance of bright pink "spraints", they obviously consider the crayfish a welcome addition to their diet! However, the ultimate irony was the sight of an American mink hunting for signal crayfish! The animal was so absorbed in the pursuit that it was oblivious of it's human audience, and totally ignored a family of moorhens which were in a mild state of panic nearby!
I am in no way condoning the spread of the signal crayfish along our rivers, but whether we like it or not this species has found a niche in our riverine ecosystems. Indeed, in some areas it has obviously become a valuable link in the food chain, providing sustenance to some of our native wildlife in much the same way that the white-clawed crayfish has done. Finally, I was delighted to discover that the white-clawed crayfish still co-exists with its larger, more aggressive cousin in our local river, and long may it be so.
Chris Gregory
During the late winter of 1998 in East Ipswich, a grey squirrel gained entrance to the roof space of my son's (P.J. Warren's) home and created a nest from artificial foam insulating material. A rodent operative was called in and removed the animal. He said it was a pregnant female. My son then had a builder stop up all possible entrances to the roof space and hoped that was an end to the problem.
In August however, a squirrel got in again by gnawing a hole through a fascia board. This time the rodent operative found a nest composed of insulating material, twigs and leaves, containing a female and two young. These were likewise removed.
The operative stated he had known squirrels nesting in a roof space before, but that it was very unusual.
Bob Warren
On September 13th 1997, whilst hanging out the washing, I heard an unfamiliar parrot-like screech but I could not see what was making the noise. However, four days later I heard the sound again and, on looking up, saw a pale-green, long-tailed bird flying overhead. "Village gossip" soon informed me that this was a ring-necked parakeet (Psittacula krameri) and that it had been sighted on several occasions over the previous couple of weeks. The village postman has named the bird 'the flying cross' because this is what it looks like as it wheels around in the air. The bird has become a resident of the village and is most commonly seen sitting in a holly tree opposite the village shop. It is fed by a nearby resident who puts food on to the roof of his summer house for it. He can now get to within 10 feet of the bird which roosts in his garden at night and noisily demands breakfast very early in the morning.
Ann Hawes
Feral populations of this noisy, gregarious bird are now well-established in Britain. They are considered to have originated from escaped cage-birds or deliberate attempts at introduction. In India, their country of origin, the birds are considered by both farmers and gardeners to be serious pests because of the damage they cause to cereal crops, fruits and flowers. [Ed]