Five things visible from a Newmarket lawn, in daylight, with nothing more than a phone camera. No ladder, no loft, ten minutes.
One: a marked or worn patch at the roof edge
An opening in regular use is rub-marked. Fur carries oils and dirt, and repeated contact leaves a darkened, faintly polished patch a few inches across, usually smeared downwards from the opening. On white uPVC it reads as a grey-brown smudge; on paint it looks worn as well as dirty.
The way to be sure: compare it with the identical detail at the other end of the house. Two matching corners where one is marked and one is clean is the strongest signal available from the ground.
Two: something out of line
Stand at each corner and sight along the eaves rather than looking straight at it. A lifted tile, a dropped soffit board, a bowed fascia, a verge unit sitting proud — all of it shows immediately in profile and is nearly invisible face on. Low morning or evening sun makes it easier again.
Three: debris where it should not be
Insulation fibre, shredded nesting material, nut shells, acorn caps or gnawed fragments on a windowsill, a conservatory roof, a flat roof, a path or a border against the wall. Insulation fibre in particular has no innocent explanation — it does not blow in from anywhere.
Clear it, then look again in a week. That converts a one-off find into evidence of current activity.
Four: a missing end cap or a gap at the verge
The single commonest modern entry point. Dry-verge and dry-ridge systems rely on small plastic end caps, and one lost in a gale leaves an opening of very nearly the right size, in the right place, with a gutter beneath it to arrive on. Look at the bottom of each verge run and at both ends of the ridge.
Five: the route
A branch overhanging or within a few feet of the roof; a fence line running to the house; a garage, porch or extension roof as a staging platform; a downpipe or a service cable arriving at the eaves. Squirrels step up in stages, and a property with an obvious sequence is a property that gets assessed every autumn.
Photograph everything, and keep the set. Almost everything in this subject is change over time, and a folder of photographs a year apart is worth more than any single inspection.
All five are visible from the ground at full zoom. There is no reason to get a ladder out, and roof-height ladder work is by a wide margin the most dangerous part of this subject.
Questions
What if I find one of these but hear nothing?
Worth acting on. An opening with no current activity is the cheapest version of this to resolve.
When is the best light?
Early morning or evening, when low sun rakes across the roof and throws shadow into anything out of line.
Can I see the back roof?
From a neighbour's upstairs window, or with a phone on an extendable pole in video mode.
Squirrel Control Newmarket
Squirrel control in Newmarket 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 Newmarket, call 01502 630 122, or read the Newmarket squirrel control page.