Squirrels are some of the most commonly seen wildlife in your garden, but there’s a large number of people who view them as backyard pests. Squirrels often get a bad rap and are accused of deliberately destroying one’s garden because they cause such obvious damages as making holes and tunnels in the lawn and dumping scales of pine cones everywhere. Despite these frustrating activities, however, squirrels are not the main culprits of lawn destruction, and they actually play an important in the natural world.
Why You Should Love Garden Squirrels?
Squirrels are essential pollinators and dispersers of various plants. They gather and hoard nuts and seeds under the trees and bushes in various locations, and sometimes, just like humans, they would forget where they put them. Then the ones they forget to dig up for food in winter will sprout up in spring and become new trees and plants. Some people may refer to them as ‘flying rats with big fluffy tails’, but they probably misjudge. Often called pests themselves, squirrels, however, make a great contribution to pest control. Ground squirrels are primarily omnivores. They mostly feed on seeds, nuts, berries, flowers, etc., but they will occasionally eat some insects and small vertebrates in your garden, which greatly helps reduce the use of chemicals and create a wildlife-friendly lalaland.
Some of you may never develop an affinity for these mischievous fellas, but guess what! They like you! Very few wild animals are trusting enough to approach humans but squirrels are generally friendly little guys. They have no problem living in a human neighborhood, and some even share a closer relationship with their hosts. Sometimes, they will even eat directly from people’s palms. Most importantly, they’re very fun to watch when they’re trying to stuff their mouths with nuts and kernels. Squirrels are born to be aerobatic. Do you know a squirrel can climb to the top of a tree within seconds? And ‘flying squirrels’ can even glide as far as 290 feet with one leap! They can provide a lot of laughs if you enjoy them.
Do Squirrels Really Harm Birds?
Though they can be very entertaining to watch, undoubtedly they also have an evil side. Most gardeners, especially those dedicated bird lovers, would not expect their arrivals. They prepare the bird seeds not for fattening up these unwelcome visitors. Squirrels are well known for hogging food, and they do scare the birds away from bird feeders so they can have all bird food to themselves. No matter how many obstacles you have set up for repelling them, they would try and try until they succeed. Usually, squirrels would take over the bird feeder and will let any birds come near it. Birds actually don’t really care if there are only 1 or 2 squirrels around, but the problem arises when the number increases. When squirrels become too numerous and aggressive, birds will be scared away altogether.
But do squirrels indeed harm birds? Well, probably. In rare cases, squirrels can harm and even eat birds. They will follow birds to their nests and eat the bird eggs and nestlings inside. But just remember the odds are pretty low that squirrels would actually take an aggressive act on birds since they will only concentrate on eating all the bird seeds. But if you’re that concerned, we recommend you install a bird feeder camera or a wildlife camera to monitor squirrel activities around the bird feeders lest any one of them will get harmed in the food fight. Or you can try to distract them by setting up a squirrel feeder.
Any Simple Way to Watch Squirrels Up Close?
Whether you want to have a closer look at these cute and mischievous creatures or monitor suspicious squirrel activities in your garden, you can always take advantage of a wildlife camera to get close and personal to garden squirrels remotely from the comfort of your home. If you have no time to check if they’re well-behaved now and then, then investing in a wildlife camera would be the best choice you’ve ever made. By installing a wildlife camera, you can keep an eye on those naughty fellas 24/7, 365 even in the dead of night.
Which is the Best Camera to Choose…
Multi-purpose Outdoor Mini WiFi IP Camera
The multi-purpose outdoor mini WiFi IP camera can produce high-quality color images in 3MP without image degradation even in close-up shooting. Featuring a compact size, it can fit in any standard-sized nest box or be mounted on feeders (bird feeders, squirrel feeders, etc.) with our specially-made L-shaped bracket. It has a wide-angle lens with adjustable focus to offer a wider field of view (120°). Equipped with a built-in microphone, it delivers true-to-life wildlife sounds. The invisible night vision (infrared LEDs) and daytime LEDs ensure 24/7 recording. Specially designed for outdoor use, it is completely waterproof to survive all weather conditions. The multi-purpose outdoor WiFi IP camera is equipped with a sensitive motion sensor to detect any motion changes around the camera and automatically start filming when triggered. And instant notifications will be sent at every trigger event.
Wildlife Trail Camera
Completely waterproof and battery-powered (last for one year in standby mode), it is a highly-sensitive hunting camera with a fully integrated detection system (PIR sensors) to capture crystal-clear images at 16 megapixels and record full HD videos with a resolution of 720p@60fps at a trigger speed of 0.2 seconds. Specially designed for outdoor use, it can work under a wider working temperature range from -30°C to 70°C. Its invisible night vision (IR flash range: 25m/82ft) ensures 24/7 continuous recording without spooking the animals. It’s a fully-functional camera that supports multiple shooting modes (photo, video, hybrid and time lapse). This trail camera supports SD storage (256GB) and its wire-free connectivity offers great versatility for application in any imaginable environment. It has an extremely long in-field battery life (up to 1 year with 8*AA batteries in standby mode). It comes with different mounting options (mounted on a tripod or fastened with a strap) which gives you great flexibility on placement.
If you’re interested, go ahead and check out our webpage to find out the best wildlife camera for watching squirrels.
