I’m wishing for a reds revival
THE woods near us are crazy busy at the moment, wildlife seems to be everywhere – taking advantage of the mild winter temperatures.
I say mild, it’s been warm really, my fleeces have been pretty redundant and my bob hats? Overheating.
It’s interesting to see that our warm-coated mammals are very active in this unseasonably toastie weather.
Every time I wander into the woods, there are grey squirrels crisscrossing my path, leaping up trees and, basically, having a lovely time of it.
Squirrels are great entertainers in woodland and our gardens.
They will happily raid your bird tables for food.
Of course, there is a dilemma for conservationists.
Grey squirrels were introduced from the USA in the 1800s and have contributed to the decline of our native red squirrels.
The main problem today is that they spread a pox that kills the reds, which are now found only in coastal areas around Formby on our patch.
Owners of woodland are also not fans of grey squirrels because of the damage they do to trees.
I once had an interesting conversation with a woman living close to Liverpool, who told me that the red squirrel could not be the logo of an environmental campaign ‘because we don’t have them in Bootle.’
Well, madam, you did have them in Bootle around 40 years ago and you could have them again if we manage the movement of greys into their areas.
The red squirrel is the prettier mammal, having a red coat and tufted ears.
It is smaller than the grey.
Both have a bushy tail. Tufted ears?
I can hear everyone cooing with delight.
Squirrels feast on hazelnuts by cracking the shell in half.
You may also find pine cones that have been nibbled, leaving what looks like an apple core behind. They will store their food in autumn if it is abundant.
They make a rough nest, called a ‘drey’, out of twigs, leaves and strips of bark in the fork of a branch, high up in the tree canopy. Females may have two litters of three to three young a year.
In the perfect world, we would work out how to let both squirrels live side by side, unfortunately greys and humanity are more likely to wipe out our red squirrel population in the north west eventually.
Your Wildlife Trust will battle to ensure this doesn’t happen and you can help by going to our website and offering your support.
The greys’ reputation is a great shame, because they are pretty cute beasties and the first mammal that many people in urban areas will see on a daily basis.
They are clever and fast and one of the great survivors in the animal world.
Without my conservation hat on, I do get a lot of pleasure wandering in the woods and seeing these joyous creatures, but I wish I could see a few reds along the way.