Squirrels on roofs? Why???

[Nod]

We spend too much time watching some local squirrels on the rooves (either spelling seems OK!) of the houses opposite and Mrs Nod asked me what they were doing up there. Other than playing and having a good view, I'm at a loss! Can anyone give me a better explanation for this behaviour?

Concrete roofing tiles with some moss on the surface but they don't seem to be collecting the moss or eating anything from it.

 

[Gav.]

My only thought is an Urban alternative to tree tops, they nest in local trees or some poor buggers loft and spend time running around in search of food.

 

[Nod]

Possibly but they spend most of the time looking across at the trees about 20' from where they're sitting! It's pretty much a daily thing, especially at the moment and one of the adults spent a fair while teaching a youngster how to transition from the wall to the roof top.

 

[BillN_33]

maybe the roof tiles heat up and it's warmer

 

[Gav.]

Could be the parents trying to 'ask' the young to leave home

 

[Compuwight]

I my experience watching them in my garden on a daily basis over many years, they run around anywhere and everywhere simply because they can !

 

[Clive K]

They use lofts as a base for their nests. Many cause damage by gnawing through cables and plastic pipes. The plastic contains latex which is attractive to rodents and other species like martens.

If you watch them you should be able to identify if they are just using the roof for warmth through refracted heat, playing or are commuting to and from a nest. If it is the latter I would suggest informing your neighbour of the potential problem.

 

[Nod]

maybe the roof tiles heat up and it's warmer

Possibly but they seem to spend as much time on the shady side of the roof as they do on the (occasionally!) sunny side as well as sitting in the shadow of the chimney stack.

Could be the parents trying to 'ask' the young to leave home

Again, possibly but they (parents) go up most mornings, even when there are no kits around to push off!

They use lofts as a base for their nests. Many cause damage by gnawing through cables and plastic pipes. The plastic contains latex which is attractive to rodents and other species like martens.

If you watch them you should be able to identify if they are just using the roof for warmth through refracted heat, playing or are commuting to and from a nest. If it is the latter I would suggest informing your neighbour of the potential problem.

As I said in the original post, we spend a fair bit of time watching them and still have no idea why they're up there! They show no interest at all in getting into the roof space, even though some of the soffit is loose enough for Sparrows and Starlings to get in and nest. Their drey is in the stand of trees they look at, about 30' from the roof they spend most time on.