The Last Stand of the English Red Squirrel, and my Red Squirrel Quest.... (1 Viewer)

England's Red Squirrels continue to decline sharply, despite various campaigns to help them.

Over the last month I have done a lot of research on the state of England's Red Squirrels, and it is a very alarming picture. Even in some of the counties such as County Durham and Lancashire, which had thriving populations in some areas as recently as a decade ago, the populations have crashed in recent years. The last non-Grey county, Northumberland, saw Greys arrive in the early 1990s, and there is a rearguard campaign to save the Reds there. I have just been informed by a local expert there that Lancashire outside Merseyside has lost all its Reds in the last few years alone.

I have decided to try and see Reds in as many English counties as possible beforer it is too late. It is an ode to the Red Squirrel, if you like. It was partly prompted by my discovery last month that there were Reds reported in the area where I used to live - Sheffield and north Derbyshire - as recently as the late 1990s. If only I had known when I lived there!

My quest began there, north-west of Sheffield, a couple of weeks ago. My father and I went to the last reported site for them, and although we didn't see any, a local resident [in a hamlet of three houses in the woods!] did describe to us what sounds very much like a Red Squirrel which visits his feeder there. Sounds like the remnant of a population there still? I will be back there soon!

Last weekend I went down to Brownsea Island and saw excellent views of the Red Squirrels there. So have got my Dorset tick! I had planned my trip before the Western Sandpiper was reported, but then with consumate timing on its part, the bird then appeared just before I was going down - so I was able to see that too!

I already have another county - Cumbria - from some years back [saw it whilst returning from the Golden Eagles, Ravens and Buzzards at Haweswater!]. So next stop is County Durham next weekend, having found some good sites remaining even there, where the population has crashed so badly in recent years.

I'll post reports here as I proceed, if people are interested. I would be interested as well in reports here of other good sites [I know about Formby, the Isle of Wight, and quite a few in Northumberland! Any sites in Tyne and Wear/North Tyneside would be appreciated]. I was interested to in the sightings at Walsall, reported on BF the other day [shouldn't that thread be here in the Mammal forum?].

My Red Squirrel quest continues....

They are lovely animals. I was chuffed to come across 2 in Cumbria.

Good luck with your quest, Red Squirrels are indeed wonderful animals

I think I've only ever seen one once. Which was about 5 weeks ago in France on the motorway between Bordeaux and La Rochelle. It was small reddish animal behaving like grey squirrels do when they're in the middle of the road attacking passing vehicles. Jumping up and doing sommersaults that sort of thing.

I`ve encountered them in Cumbria - on the road from the M6 up towards Haweswater and on Brownsea Island - yesterday on an unsuccesful quest to see the Weatern Sandpiper whose disapearance from 1:30 - 4:15 coincided neatly with my 1:30 - 4:00 visit to the island!!!

I reported the Walsal sighting. You may if you're in the area give the local Walsall Chronicle a ring and they may put you in touch with the home owners who raised the story.

A good site in Cumbria (as long as the bird feeder and water drink are still there) is directly below the Osprey viewing stand in Dodd Wood overlooking bassenthwaite lake.

Other Red sites in Cumbria are:

Squirrels Pantry Tea Room – Cockermouth
Whinlatter Forest Park (Also Osprey)
Thirlmere – Forests around reservoir offer chances of sightings
Ennerdale – Forest and YH
Dalemain Tea Room
Eamont Bridge to Lowther Castle public footpath through Caravan park

Thetford forest has a small population currently unde study. A small breeding population can be viewed at Kelling Heath holiday park (Norfolk).

Just over the border in Wales you may find a few at Lake Vyrnwy, Llanfyllin.

Clocaenog Forest in North Wales is believed to have the largest population of red squirrels in Wales and is probably their last stronghold.

Try contacting the following:

For the red of Anglesey try: http://www.redsquirrels.info/

For the reds of the north east try: http://www.wildlifetrust.org.uk/durham/RedAlert/

For the north west try: http://www.redsquirrel.org.uk/RED_ALERT/html/seeingreds.htm

My sister had one running along the top of her garden wall a few months ago - she lives in Crosby, and when we visit her we go to see the red squirrels at Formby.

We were rather surprised about how dark they were - this was taken in January 2003.

Alan Hobson said:

I have decided to try and see Reds in as many English counties as possible beforer it is too late.

I already have another county - Cumbria - from some years back [saw it whilst returning from the Golden Eagles, Ravens and Buzzards at Haweswater!].

My Red Squirrel quest continues....

Click to expand...

But can you "count/tick" one you saw some years back????

They do vary a lot in colour from red to almost black!

Extra bit of info about the Cumbria Red Squirrels:

The villages around Buttermere & Crummock Water and also directly north east of Keswick around Latrigg (a hill) have home made signs 'Warning Red Squirrels Crossing' etc, so plenty of scope there for sightings.

I also had sightings in the grounds of Lower Briery holiday village (Keswick) and the adjacant disused railway line.

And that Cockermouth tea room I mentioned above, they come to feeding stations at closing time (5 to 6pm in the summer)

PaulAshton said:

Extra bit of info about the Cumbria Red Squirrels:

The villages around Buttermere & Crummock Water and also directly north east of Keswick around Latrigg (a hill) have home made signs 'Warning Red Squirrels Crossing' etc, so plenty of scope there for sightings.

I also had sightings in the grounds of Lower Briery holiday village (Keswick) and the adjacant disused railway line.

And that Cockermouth tea room I mentioned above, they come to feeding stations at closing time (5 to 6pm in the summer)

Click to expand...

They are quite widespread in Manesty woods at the end of Derwentwater opposite from Keswick.

Hi All,

Many thanks for all the replies. I was pleased at all the interest - I posted the thread, did a bit of work, went for a quick lunch, and when I came back there were already 9 replies....

Gwynn, thanks for the good wishes, and you and Pete are right, they are lovely.

Walwyn - it sounds like your Red Squirrel was in danger of being an ex-Red squirrel!

Jason - I have to say that that was a particularly unfortunate miss on the WS of yours, especially as you had gone all that way....At least you saw the Red squirrels.....

Elizabeth - I must admit, I had thought about that. However, it is a Red squirrel sighting in an English county, so even though it was before this Quest started, I think it counts!

Anyway, with Paul's helpful Cumbria tips, I may see one next time I'm up for my annual Golden Eagle/Black Guillemot visit to Cumbria.

Paul - thanks for all the tips. I still have fond memories of all the valuable help you gave me as I planned my Mount Snowdon trip in May [by the way, you never did reply to my PM telling you how I got on - you had wanted to know how I did].

As far as Thetford Forest goes, though, I communicated with the local expert for there just a few weeks ago. He says it is no longer clear whether there are any Red squirrels at all there now, and if there are they are probably remainders of the release captive programme, so not really wild.

However, a lot of your other tips are helpful - especially the Clocaenog Forest in North Wales one. If you have any more details re that, I'd be interested to hear them. [I know its an English Quest at the moment, but I may broaden it out to Britain, especially as I have already seen a number in a couple of Scottish counties!).

Alan

When my family moved in to my current house in the mid 1960's (I was ten!) we had Red Squirrels in the garden, they would walk up the outside of the house and come down to the bird table. The house is on the edge of Stapledon Wood on Wirral. Just Grey Squirrels now :C .
Formby is certainly the best place to see them locally but even these are now under threat from Grey Squirrels. Hopefully English Nature will be able to hold back the 'invasion', but for how long?

www.deeestuary.co.uk

deeestuary said:

Formby is certainly the best place to see them locally but even these are now under threat from Grey Squirrels. Hopefully English Nature will be able to hold back the 'invasion', but for how long?

Click to expand...

This part belongs to the National Trust, according to its Handbook - or maybe English Nature is involved here too?

Alan, I suppose you are aware they reside on the Isle of Wight too. They are very proud of this fact and it can be easy to see them there in selected hotpots such as Parkhurst Forest. We saw about three all together in one week but each one took us by surprise so we did not feel as though we were 'tripping over them'. Firestone and Borthwood Copse were also good spots for the Reds. Saw no Greys whatsoever.

http://www.wightonline.co.uk/wight/wight_pages/woodlands.html

Andrew said:

Alan, I suppose you are aware they reside on the Isle of Wight too. They are very proud of this fact and it can be easy to see them there in selected hotpots such as Parkhurst Forest. We saw about three all together in one week but each one took us by surprise so we did not feel as though we were 'tripping over them'. Firestone and Borthwood Copse were also good spots for the Reds. Saw no Greys whatsoever.

http://www.wightonline.co.uk/wight/wight_pages/woodlands.html

Click to expand...

Hi Andrew,

Thanks. As you're a BF mate, and so won't mind, I think I can gently point out I did mention the Isle of Wight in my original message above. However, thanks for the web reference - the more sites on IoW I can find the better!

I seem to have a good opportunity to go to IoW on a work trip soon which I can combine with a Red Squirrel trip!

Alan as with all the other post's i'd just like to say all the best with your quest. please keep us updated.
bert.

Alan Hobson said:

Hi Andrew,

Thanks. As you're a BF mate, and so won't mind, I think I can gently point out I did mention the Isle of Wight in my original message above. However, thanks for the web reference - the more sites on IoW I can find the better!

I seem to have a good opportunity to go to IoW on a work trip soon which I can combine with a Red Squirrel trip!

Click to expand...

Alan,

Doh, sorry for missing the initial mention of IOW. Glad you will have an opportunity to se them.

Thought you might be interested in a particular quirk of the Reds on IOW. Might apply to all of our other Reds but I don't know in my limited experience. When you get close to them the run to the joint between the trunk and the branch sitting on top and freeze. This was an impressive tactic as we KNEW they were there on the particular branch but could not find them even with pine trees being quite exposed. It took a long wait for them to make a move and reveal themselves again.

All over the Isle of Wight there is an inititative called Gift to Nature where several shops, hotels and cravan sites have a collection box for tourists to contribute to the wildlife of the island and this paid for some Red Squirrel projects. . . . http://www.gifttonature.co.uk/squirrels.htm

There is a leaflet for Parkhurst Forest Squirrel Viewpoint and it can be downloaded with Acrobat Reader from the attached link. I must point out that we did not even bother with this as it was easy enough to see them on any walk in a wood or forest. Some birders on their websites said they went to Parkhurst and saw none from the viewpoint but in other areas of the woods/forest. Squirrels ain't like birds on a saltmarsh, you can't build it and expect them to come! Nevertheless here is the link . . . http://www.lhi.org.uk/docs/red_squirrel.pdf

Cheers,
Andrew.

While waiting outside the chapel at a friends funeral at Southport Crematorium we were surprised to see several red squirrels in the grounds. There used to be a fair sized colony at Mere Sands Woods (reserve) in Rufford but I believe they've been completely wiped out. People like Eric Hardy ( a radio broadcaster and reporter) warned about the grey problem years ago and advocated shooting and eating them.

When I lived at Hevingham, Norfolk in 1987 there were still plenty in the Forestry Commission plantations there and at Felthorpe. But they suddenly declined and are, I think, extinct in Norfolk apart from reintroductions like Thetford and captive breeders like Kelling. It's funny: I go to Normandy / Pas de Calais a lot and they are really plentiful over there......... Is the problem ALL the fault of Greys (seems likely!) or is the lack of hazel a factor? Are there Greys in the Strathspey forests? Never had any trouble seeming them there.....