Red Squirrel (sciurus vulgaris)

Red squirrels are a real treat to see. We don't get them at Scotswood Garden, only their grey American cousins. However they are found nearby in parts of Northumberland (Kielder forest, for example), the Lake District, parts of Scotland, and further south in small pockets and on islands such as Anglesea and the Isle of Wight.

They are much rarer than grey squirrels. There are an estimated 140,000 red squirrels in the UK, compared to 2.5 million greys.

The native red squirrel population has faced many threats over the years from deforestation to the introduction of grey squirrels. Greys are better at finding food, but also better at remembering where they stored it, so they are better at surviving where food is limited. Greys can also carry squirrel pox, which is not dangerous for them, but fatal to red squirrels. In more recent years efforts have been made to support the numbers of red squirrels, even leading to culls of grey squirrels in certain areas.

Red squirrels tend to be found in mixed woodland, with evergreen and deciduous trees. This supports their diet of pine cones and nuts such as hazelnuts. If you are in an area where squirrels are present, look out for pine cones which have been nibbled down to look like apple cores and nut shells which have been expertly sliced into two - these are both signs of squirrel activity.

Red squirrels are easy to identify by their orangey red coat and pale tummy, along with their whispy tail and very whispy ear tufts! They are smaller than grey squirrels, but also lighter and bouncier in their movements as a result.

They don't hibernate but store nuts under the ground and come back for them in the depths of winter. As mentioned above, they don't always remember where they buried them, though!