Chasing squirrels is becoming more than a hobby, as inflation bites

Determined to attract a wealth of birdlife, Will Gore is beset by unwanted – and very greedy – customers

Our resident squirrel can empty the feeders in a matter of hours (Getty/iStock)

This year’s Springwatch was a delight, as ever. It won’t hold quite such a special place in my heart as 2020’s edition, filmed almost miraculously mid-Covid, and providing a genuine moment of hope in that extraordinary time. Still, the 2022 version has been a cracker.

The red squirrels were joyful, and who doesn’t love a fox cub? But it’s the birds that really draw me in, just as they seemingly do the show’s hosts.

There were the prehistoric-looking heron chicks, wolfing down whole rats that had been charmingly regurgitated by their parents. There were the barn owl babes, who formed one fluffy mass in their nest box. And then there were the swallows and marsh harriers and black caps and sea eagles and razorbills and more. All with sunshine to boot. Lovely.