Over the garden gate

Squirrels
By Lisa

Like many people in Britain, until last year I had only ever seen one of the two species of squirrel in this country. But, unlike most, I was brought up to know only red squirrels. North Cumbria is one of the few areas in Britain that have an established red squirrel population, along with Northumberland, Cannock Chase in Staffordshire, (close to where my husband grew up), Thetford chase in East Anglia, Hope Forest in Derbyshire, and Formby in Merseyside. There are also a few small isolated populations in other areas around the UK. Notably Brownsea Island (a small Island owned by the National Trust just off Poole Harbour in Dorset) and on the Isle of Wight .

I spent much of my early years exploring the woodland around my home, on the edge of the North Lakes, and those fleeting glimpses of red were a common, but exciting sight. Two years ago, I moved into a village which had its own 'feeding station' for squirrels, situated on a small, quiet back lane. For many years a local lady has been leaving food for them daily. The tamest of these squirrels happily let you quietly watch and photograph them as they eat, while others watch from the safety of high branches, only descending to their special boxes when you are out of sight. Last year someone added about 5 new boxes, attached to trees, along the length of the lane, this allows more squirrels, from different territories to get the supplements left for them.

My first sighting of a grey squirrel was last April, in Cornwall, a fleeting glimpse high up in the branches of a tree. My second, in Peasholme park, Scarborough, was a rather fat looking specimen that leisurely walked across the path in front of me and my uncle as we walked - I have to say that neither encounter inspired me much! In November I warmed to the greys, whilst drinking coffee in my uncles kitchen, near Scarborough, and I watched the antics of a pair that were stealing peanuts from the bird feeders, (the assorted birds were amazing too, in a 3m x 5m yard!).

The red squirrel (Sciurus Vulgaris) The only squirrel native to Britain, it can easily be recognised by its size, colouring, and especially in winter, its large ear tufts. The colouring can vary from bright ginger, red through dark brown, and can be tinged with grey. From nose to tail, their length is around 350 - 400mm, adults can weigh up to 350g. The American grey squirrel (Sciurus Carolinensis) First introduced to Britain at Henbury park, Cheshire, in 1876, and introduced to other areas around the UK in the 1920s. From these sites the squirrel population grew, and as it did, the red squirrel population began its decline. There are no definite facts as to why the two species cannot live together, but it appears that the greys have a greater ability to compete for food. The only advantage that the reds have is their supremacy in conifer forests. The British red squirrel population is estimated at 161 000 - 10 000 in Wales, 30 000 in England, and 121 000 in Scotland. The grey squirrel population is estimated at 2 520 000, with two million in England. In England, greys outnumber reds by 66:1.

Squirrels do not hibernate, both species live in 'dreys' or nests, made of twigs, lined with soft hair moss, moss and dried grass. In cold periods in winter, squirrels often stay in these drays for several days. Their main foods are tree seeds (acorns, hazel nuts), tree flowers and shoots, mushrooms and fungi from under tree bark. During the winter, they live on their hidden stores of nuts and seeds. The greatest time of famine is July, before nuts and seeds ripen, and there own stores are depleted. Nut only diets can lead to brittle bones (due to calcium deficiency), so, if you do feed squirrels, a mix of peanuts, pine nuts, sunflower seeds, carrots, apples, maize,and even boiled bones is a good idea - our local feeding station sports a cuttle fish bone, which is a good idea, but I have never seen it being used! In the last few months, I have read in our local paper, reports of grey squirrels at Alston, and the southern tip of Ullswater, so our Cumbrian population is seeing its territory invaded, year by year, just as the rest of the country has over the last century. Does this mean that in twenty years time that 'our' red squirrels will also be gone? I for one will miss that flash of red.

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