Phil Pickin: Seeing red

You’d be hard pressed to have missed the media reports on the plight of the red squirrel. The fact that it’s cute, small and photogenic certainly helps to attract public interest, but it’s their continued hounding from native habitats by the grey bully that’s the real story here. Thankfully the efforts of a growing number of people is having a positive impact and the numbers of reds would seem to be holding up, but it’s not easy.

One good thing is that many who enjoy walking in the countryside do stand a reasonable chance of seeing one of these endearing animals. OK, you do need to be in the right areas but slowly these areas are expanding. That’s not to say the battle has been won: far from it. However, you don’t have to walk in the Highlands of Scotland to see them.

One of the best places is on the Isle of Wight – an island with special rules in place to protect the reds from anyone bringing a grey onto the island. I’ve seen a red squirrel in Cowes, standing on a grass verge close to a bus stop. (Whether the bus stopped for him, I can’t recall…) I’ve also stayed in a static caravan on a tiny site near Freshwater only to be woken early in the morning by a small group of reds running round on the roof of the caravan! This went on for ages and we all felt very privileged they chose to wake us up.

Further north, Formby Point north of Merseyside is a National Trust reserve which offers visitors the chance to see the squirrels in conifer plantations close to sand dunes. This could be one of the more accessible places to see them in the UK. The Isle of Anglesey is now reporting a few reds in the area, a result of a number of successful reintroduction programs over the last few years. Both of these areas would provide walkers of all abilities with the opportunity to see the red in its natural habitat. Details of some of these locations can be found in the links shown below. Other areas include Dorset, Cumbria and Northumberland.

But without doubt, the area with the best track record and numbers of red squirrels has to be Scotland, and conservationists like the Highland Red Squirrel group work hard to maintain this population and build on it. The main reason for the Highlands remaining a stronghold for reds is the lack of greys in Scotland. As you may have read or heard, the greys can carry a virus which, although harmless to them, can kill reds. Once in an area, the greys cannot only deplete the food supply in the area but also infect the reds, ensuring that even if the reds do manage to overcome the virus the food supply is so low there is little chance of replenishing numbers.  Tree species can also play a part in how successful the reds are in a given area, so with all these factors to take into account it’s easy to see why they have such a hard time keeping a foothold in certain areas.

Rather than reintroduce reds, the Scottish groups have tried to ensure that the greys don’t get into areas populated by reds and they would seem to have had some success (and long may they continue to do so). So, it seems, your best chance of seeing red is to head north. And if you do, make sure you research the location before you go: there’s a lot to learn about when and where exactly to search, and a lot you can contribute towards conservation efforts by reporting any sightings of the red squirrel you may make.

For more information on the red squirrel, you might want to visit some of the following sites:
www.ukredsquirrels.org – for general UK information.
www.highlandredsquirrel.co.uk – one of a number of red squirrel groups in Scotland.
www.wildlifesurveys.org.uk/library_wildlife_red_squirrel_id.html – more general info on the red.
www.redsquirrels.info – conservation group based in Wales.
www.redsquirrels.info/formby_squirrels.html – details of reds in Formby.

Phil Pickin writes Walk magazine’s Wildlife Diary