Saturday 29 March 2014

Red Squirrels on the Isle of Wight

When I was on the Isle of Wight, Eileen and I went to see if we could find the Red Squirrels.  The I.O.W. have no Grey Squirrels, in fact if anyone sees one, they have to report it to the authorities.  It was not long before one appeared on the ground in front of the hide however unfortunately for us, someone had thrown nuts on the roof of the hide and that is where the Squirrel decided to eat.  It was not as good for photographs from our point of view as the Squirrel was never totally in view.  Now, grab you cuppa, put into slide mode and enjoy this lovely animal.


There are quite a number of places to find the Red Squirrel on the island however this Squirrel was seen at Alverstone Mead Nature Reserve.



The small and isolated but thriving population of 3,500 red squirrels on the Isle of Wight is very important. Although a British native, the red squirrel is an endangered species. 


With its familiar bushy tail and tufted ears, the red squirrel is easily recognised, yet sightings of it are increasingly rare in Britain, especially in southern England.



Its struggle for survival began in the late 1800s with the introduction of its bigger and stronger North American cousin, the grey squirrel. Grey squirrels out-compete reds for habitat and they carry the squirrelpox virus - fatal to reds. The Isle of Wight is special because it has no grey squirrels. 



Red squirrels produce litters of three to four kittens a year. They do not hibernate, but will stay in their dreys during bad weather – although they have to come out to feed.  Important food sources are hazelnuts and seeds from native Scots pine.



They supplement their diet with nuts from other trees such as beech and sweet chestnut, and with berries and, occasionally, fungi and insects. The red squirrel’s life expectancy is six years but only about one in six survives to adulthood.  Cars, cats and dogs but also foxes, weasels and larger birds, especially buzzards, spell danger.




The National Trust are also actively managing woodland to support a healthy population of red squirrels. At Newtown and Borthwood, small areas of Hazel are coppiced on an eight to 14 year cycle to create a varied habitat.





It is illegal to bring a Grey Squirrels into a Red Squirrels territory.   The penalty is 2 years imprisonment or £5,000 fine.


The last time I saw Red Squirrels was when I took my grand children to the same spot and we were able to hand feed them on that occasion.  If you wish to see these photographs, CLICK HERE.


The video can be accessed at

http://youtu.be/RYaV1cAq1C8

If there is a black space below, click it and the video will appear.



I hope you enjoyed this post.

Thank you for visiting today.


Many thanks for commenting on any of my post.

I am linking this post with Saturday's Critters.  

28 comments:

  1. such a cute looking squirrel Margaret

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  2. I've never seen a red squirrel and this one is too cute. It's good to know they're protected.

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  3. I did very much enjoy this post. It is a shame that the grey squirrels are so difficult to control. Your red squirrel is a very handsome species

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  4. Such a cute little guy! Really enjoyed hearing the sounds of nature while watching him nibble.

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  5. A lovely little thing! I had not realized they were endangered. Thank you Margaret, I thoroughly enjoyed your post.

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  6. I don't think I've ever seen those tufted ears on the red squirrels near us. We have LOTS running around our yard. You got some great shots of these cute little pests!

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  7. Hi Margaret, my grandson and I loved your post. These squirrels are his favorite as he says "they aren't good fighters but they are good at running." Sort of like he is too. We had a chuckle about that law, saying it is illegal to bring a Grey Squirrels into a Red Squirrels territory. The penalty is 2 years imprisonment or £5,000 fine." We hope the territory is well marked. What if a grey squirrel follows you into red squirrel territory? And, how would anyone know? Jacob was full of questions. It made for some interesting conversation to start our day. Thanks! Your blog is always so very interesting.

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  8. so VERY cute! those tufted ears are something!

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  9. Wonderful post with fabulous photos. The closeup details and coloring of the squirrels is fantastic!

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  10. Adorable little critters. I love their ear tufts.

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  11. I wish we had Red Squirrels in the forest where i live, great capture Margaret.


    peter

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  12. Your squirrels are so cute and your information is great! Thank for sharing

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  13. Oh what wonderful shots of this cute little critter!

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  14. Wonderful photos of the cute squirrel. They're fun to watch. Enjoy your weekend!

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  15. I wonder if it is the same here in Virginia? This would explain why we have no reds here (at least none that I have seen). But we have tons of the gray all over the place. He is beautiful, I love the ears and tail.I have never seen a real one. Your pictures are just wonderful, sharp and full of detail.

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  16. He's very cute! I like this long-looking ears.

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  17. Thanks for the interesting information about, and pictures of, the red squirrel. I've seen white squirrels in the mountains of North Carolina, but red squirrels are new to me.

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  18. Dearest Margaret;
    Very lovely and adorable pictures of squirrel in your beautiful pictures♡♡♡ I wish I had the nature like yours around my area.

    Sending you Lots of Love and Hugs from Japan, xoxo Miyako*

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  19. Greetings from Copenhagen. I really like your high quality photos of the red squirrel. Fortunately we also have them in Denmark where we have no introduced grey squirrels. On the island of Funen there is a small population of black squirrels which conservationists are trying to save.
    Best wishes from Bo
    (Mr) Bo Hoff

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  20. Wonderful photos - and excellent information about the red squirrels. Here we have grey and black ones - and they argue all the time over who owns the area by our house. It is fun to watch them scamper up and down the trees all summer. They can jump an amazingly long distance from tree to tree.

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  21. Splendid animals! Hope to by able to show my kids some later in the year - but "up north" rather than the IOW.

    Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne

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  22. Hi Margaret,
    Love the Red Squirrel photos. To me, with those tufted ears, he/she has the look of being constantly surprised. They certainly don't have an easy time surviving being a relished munchy by so many different critters, they'd need to be constantly alert for danger. Sad about the traffic casualty contributing.
    Wonderful in present times how much effort is put into keeping wildlife and flora safe, healthy and productive. In just my short time I've seen changes for the better in wildlife management.. just sad it seems to have taken so long to happen, but more importantly it has and is getting better.
    Is a lovely story to read that the Red Squirrel has an environment to call home, supported by caring humans.
    May the Grey Squirrel never find its way to the Isle of Wight.
    Usually is the way... introduce a non-native species, whether Fauna or Flora, and too often it thrivingly survives, causing serious problems for native flora and fauna. The solution is is usually not pleasant either. Sad really.
    But more folk care, and more effort is being made to protect and build habitat and we all benefit.
    Thanks deeply for visiting me, I've enjoyed being here.

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  23. Such lovely photos! I love red squirrels andhave been lucky enough to see them in the wild on several occasions, though never on the Isle of Wight (which I've only visited once, many years ago)

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  24. How cute! Brilliant captures. And I never knew that about IOW and squirrels.

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  25. great shots. This is our squirrel but it is almost impossible to get shots like this of them. Unless you have a feeder of course. And I don´t. :)

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  26. So much nicer than the grey variety, and those ear tufts are superb.

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  27. It's hard to imagine a squirrel as endangered. That one is adorable and I'm happy efforts are being made to protect it.

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