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RED SQUIRRELS
Friends of the Red Squirrel
Friends of the Red Squirrel is a conservation partnership of over 120 organisations and individuals. Its aim is to ensure the survival of the remaining red squirrel populations in the North West of England.
Please report any GREY SQUIRREL SIGHTINGS IN CUMBRIA as soon as possible! | ||||
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Can red and grey squirrels occupy the same habitat? Yes, but not for long. Grey squirrels live at a higher density and so will soon dominate the food supply. This leaves the poor red squirrel to fend for itself, which usually means leaving to find another habitat.
Do squirrels hibernate? No. Squirrels need to eat every day to survive. Red squirrels bury food when there is a surplus. They can then feed on it when no other food is available, but grey squirrels sometimes find it first. In hard winters red squirrels appreciate supplementary feeding even when not threatened by grey squirrels.
Where
can I see red squirrels? The map on this page shows the range of red and grey squirrels across Cumbria and the rest of England, but if you would like further information then you should contact your local Project Officer for guidance. (see below)
What is the natural foods for red and grey squirrels? The red squirrel likes seeds and buds of the Scots Pine, Corsican Pine, Norway Spruce, Larch, Yew, Elm, and Birch. Hazelnuts and beechnuts as well as rosehips and fungi. The grey squirrel's diet is much like the red's, but it also likes acorns. It finds them much easier to digest than the red squirrel.
How can the red squirrels be helped to compete with the grey squirrel? By supplementary feeding of red squirrels, habitat management to favour the red squirrel and grey squirrel control in targeted areas.
What can you do to help? By helping to feed supplements like peanuts, yellow maize, sunflower and pine seeds, hazelnuts and fruit.
WHEN TO FEED: You can feed red squirrels at anytime of the year. The critical period is during the summer months before fruit and nuts ripen. Feeding in the hard weather and after seed crops is important also. Water is also needed.
HOW TO FEED: A squirrel table or standard hopper erected near a hedge or in a woodland will suffice in red-only areas. Where grey squirrels are, or may be present, use red-only feeding hoppers that are designed to allow access only to the red squirrel. (The heavier grey squirrel falls through a trap door before reaching the food.)
FEEDING HOPPERS:
Project Officers Red Alert North West Project Officer for Cumbria Contact: Simon Lloyds, Information Officer Red Alert North West Plumgarths Kendal CA8 8LX Telephone: 01539-816311 Fax: 01539-816301
Grant Aid Contact your local Project Officer for details of grant aid for red squirrel conservation action in the priority areas.
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How can a red squirrel be
spotted? Colour
is a good guide, however, some grey squirrels sometimes have patches of
red. Red squirrels can vary between orange-red and nearly black. The grey
squirrel's tail may appear to be surrounded by a halo, due to white-tipped
hairs. At almost any time of the year the red squirrel has ear tufts, not
present in the grey. Grey squirrels are also almost twice the weight of
red squirrels.
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