There are two peaks in a squirrel's day. The dawn one is louder and more useful; the late-afternoon one is the one most Haverhill households actually notice, because they are awake for it.
What is happening
Late in the afternoon the animal returns to the roof space to settle for the night, and in autumn it is frequently bringing something with it. That produces a different mix of noise from the morning departure: less pure travel, more moving about, more rolling and dragging, and often several separate arrivals rather than one crossing.
Why it is more variable than dawn
- The return is staggered. An animal may come and go several times before settling
- Weather affects it more. A wet or windy afternoon brings them back earlier and quieter
- Food matters. A productive afternoon out means later returns; a poor one means earlier
- Caching adds traffic. In autumn the same animal may make repeated trips carrying food
What it sounds like
Typically: an arrival at the entry — scrabbling at the very edge of the roof, often low down near a wall — then a crossing of the roof space, then a period of moving about in one area. In autumn there is often rolling in among it, which is cached food being put into position and is close to conclusive on its own.
The afternoon window is the one to listen at, and the morning is the one to watch at. Late afternoon tells you what is going on; dawn tells you where the door is.
Reading it against the seasons
- Autumn. The busiest and most productive window of the year — multiple returns, rolling, dragging
- Winter. Earlier, because the light goes early. Shorter and quieter, and easily missed
- Spring. Where there are young, activity in the nest area rather than travel, and higher-pitched noise under it
- Summer. Later and lighter, and often the quietest window of the year
Why this window gets misread
Because the house is busy. Television, cooking, children, the heating firing up and the household moving about all mask it, which is why an afternoon noise often gets noticed only once somebody happens to be upstairs alone. If a household member reports hearing something at four o'clock and nobody else has, that is worth taking seriously rather than dismissing.
A deeply insulated Haverhill loft compounds it: thick modern wool absorbs a great deal, so the same activity that would be startling in an older house registers as a faint thump in a newer one.
Questions
I only hear it in the afternoon. Is that still a squirrel?
Very likely. Many households sleep through the dawn window and only notice the return.
Why is there rolling and dragging?
Cached food and nesting material being moved. Both are autumn behaviours and both point firmly at squirrels.
It is quieter than it was. Has it gone?
Not necessarily — winter afternoons are shorter and quieter. Judge it on the dawn window instead.
Squirrel Control Haverhill
Squirrel control in Haverhill is £280 fixed cost. Proofing work, where it is needed afterwards, is £180. Call 01502 630 122 and tell us what you have heard or seen.
For squirrel control in Haverhill, call 01502 630 122, or read the Haverhill squirrel control page.