Things you need to know about RED SQUIRRELS!
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- Опубліковано 9 чер 2024
- 140 years ago there was only one species of squirrel in the wild in the UK, it was common and widespread across most of the country and that is the Red squirrel. Unfortunately that isn't the case anymore, these small rodents are now only found in Scotland, some parts of wales, patches of northern England and on the isle of white, although there has been a handful of reintroductions across southern England in recent years.
Red squirrels are much smaller than greys and measure about 35centimetres including their tails and grow to around 350grams. They have pale cream undersides, with the rest of their fur varying from orangey red to dark brown. During the winter their fur can become more grey and dull and they also develop tufts of fur at the top of their ears.
Historically they also lived in deciduous woodlands. They feed on a wide range of seeds, nuts, and shoots, and just like most other rodents they are opportunists and will also eat carrion and birds eggs and chicks. They are active throughout the year and spend a lot of the autumn hiding food to return to and eat during the winter. This is where the term “squirreling away” comes from.
Red squirrels can breed twice per year, usually between February and March and then again between June and July. Females are only receptive of mates for a very short window during each cycle and as they are not territorial, mating can involve several males chasing a female and competing for the chance to father her offspring. She will be pregnant for 5 to 6 weeks before giving birth to between 3 and 6 young, which are known as kits. These furless, blind and toothless and are hidden within a nest the female has constructed which is known as a dray. Drays usually consist of balls of twigs high in the branches of trees, lined with leaves, moss and wool. Sometimes they will also nest in man made boxes or hollow trees. Males take no part in rearing the kits which by 7 weeks of age are around half the size of adults and emerge from the drays. By 10 weeks of age they are fully weaned and independent.
Its estimated that there are about 160,000 red squirrels left in the UK, but they are also found across most of Europe, some of Russia and in parts of Asia. As I mentioned earlier, they have declined drastically here in recent years, but it is not a lost cause. Pine martens are a native predator which is better at catching Grey squirrels than reds and is gradually recolonising the country from the north. As they spread, they seem to be reducing the numbers of grey squirrels and allowing reds to recolonise. I know it is not the grey squirrels fault that they are here, but I am hopeful that one day red squirrels will be common once again. They have an average lifespan of 4 to 5 years, but one captive animal did survive for more than 15 years at a zoo in Japan. #britishwildlife #squirrels #wildlife
Some of the footage used in this video was obtained using creative commons licences, the originals can be found at:
• Red Squirrel foraging ...
• Photographing Red Squi...
• Ecureuil roux (Sciurus...
• Red Squirrel on the lawn
• Red Squirrel's foragin...
• Red Squirrel drinking ...
• Red Squirrel climbing,...
• Red Squirrel caching s...
• Red squirrel eats a wa...
• Red Squirrel moving on...
• Red Squirrel caching a...
• Red Squirrel foraging ...
• 2 Baby Red Squirrels -...
• European Red Squirrel ...
• Red Squirrel climbing ...
• Red squirrel bury some...
• 25.04.2021 - Eurasian ...
• The Red Squirrel Show ...
• Cute Red Squirrel Up C...
• Red Squirrel On A Tree...
• Red Squirrel Babies at...
• Red Squirrel Chase
• red squirrel footage W...
• Red Squirrel
• Red Squirrel Awareness...
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• Cute Red Squirrel eats...
• Ekorn / Red Squirrel (...
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• Red Squirrel finds an ...
• Nach dem Essen Finger ...
• Das Eichhörnchen (Sciu...
• red squirrel Sciurus v...
• The Eurasian red squir...
• Sciurus vulgaris Eekhoorn
• Onze huis eekhoorn, Ou...
• Metsnugis (Martes mart...
• Martes martes (Europea...
• Squirrel Has Amazing B...
• jonge eekhoorns voor h...
• baby squirrels venturi...
Thumbnail image: www.flickr.com/photos/1421062... - Домашні улюбленці та дикі тварини
I live in Northern Ireland and have had red squirrels in my yard quite often. Rural North Antrim. Another location to add to your list.
The Tufty club was never the same once the Grey's arrived.
Ye Gods ..... How old are you? 😮
Wish I still had my Tufty road safety board game 😢
Yep, I remember Tufty.
Daniel but they all want to live sweet critters, i have 4 pet mice girls so cute to watch, uk granny
Ah yes, The Tufty Club . . .😊
I love squirrels! They are my very fav animal! I have a neat squirrel fact: Squirrels smell really good. Like fresh grass and wildflowers.
This is a very interesting lesson in adaptive evolution. The red squirrel is red because of the lack of predators in its's environment, thus reducing the need for camouflage. Evolution is a contest between survival and reproductive success. If you don't survive you can't reproduce. If you don't reproduce there is no survival of your genes. A grey squirrel is better at avoiding predators since it has better camouflage. The red squirrel is better at reproduction since it has fancy coloring. If left on their own, the grey squirrel would eventually become red (or another fancy coloring) due to the environmental condition in Great Britain.
Thanks for another loveñy clip Liam. They're always a highlight of any day. As a child in the early 1960s, I honestly thought I must have been one of the last people to see a Pine Martin in the wild. Glad I've made it long enough to see them coming baclk!
Still remember seeing them in the Winter Gardens in Bournemouth. I thought that they are also on Brownsea Island. No greys around here, they seem to not like lead. Best Dave
The grey squirrels in Mid Wales are allergic to lead as well but they still seem to be doing well, especially when some people deliberately feed them.
I Love Red Squirrels ❤🙏
I was lucky enough to see just the one on Brownsea island. Beautiful little thing with a lovely vibrant colour, smaller than the greys. Thanks Liam 🐿
Even luckier if you avoided Lyme Diease, as the carrier ticks are endemic on Brownsea!!
I was lucky to see four gorgeous reds when I visited. I've seen them in the Highlands and in the garden at my uncle's place in Cumbria. Though they regularly visited his bird table they were even more 'squirrelly' than grey squirrels, dashing away if a human was sighted. They like licking the honey left for pine martens in the Scottish wood where I observed them.
@CliveofEngland sounds lovely, I lived in the Highlands for a few years but never saw a red squirrel. The one I saw at Brownsea did seem timid. I put nuts out for the grey squirrel that visits my garden...I have a video on my channel..just a shorts one. Use to see Lapwings in Scotland, , beautiful birds but haven't seen any now I live way down south. Did see a wild cat in Scotland....but in a zoo...
@@celestenova777 Hi Celeste. I've seen lapwings up in Scotland too. Some exotic animals up there in the wild expanses. We spent most of a day with a skilled tracker looking for wild cats and pine martens in wooded scrubland where both were known to live - not a trace of either all day! We did see many deer, a stoat, red squirrels and a distant golden eagle though. Only ever saw a pine marten in England in woods near Carlisle - never seen a wildcat, sadly, even in a cage.
@@Clive697 🙂👍
We have both here in PA in the forests in the middle of the state. Our (USA) red squirrels are a bit different lacking the ear tufts and they are a little smaller. We also have Fox Squirrels which are the biggest of the three. But, Fox Squirrels are somewhat shy and tend to stay away from the others and people. The hand of meddling mankind strikes again! Enjoy your videos and your insights into the world of wildlife all around us.
We are in rural Pennsylvania and have many trees. We have both red and gray squirrels. The reds can only eat unripe seeds but the grays can eat both unripe and ripe ones giving the grays a huge survival advantage!
Thanks for this. I have never in all my 70+ years seen a Red Squirrel. My grandad told me that they used to turn up in his garden in mid-Cheshire occasionally in the early part of the last century.
Great channel, always room for a talk about the red squirrel
As you say, Liam, not the grey's fault that they were introduced into the UK, but why?
They are bigger, stronger, and less fussy eaters than reds, and appear to be able to adapt better to different terrain. Both are prey for the Pine Marten, as you said. Always liked the Reds, and here's hoping through conservation, their numbers can increase. By chance, I found my Tufty Club badge, when I moved house last year! Another good vlog Liam, on one of the UK's liked and better known animals. 👍 😊
by coincidence i had a magical encounter with a couple of reds a few days ago in a tiny patch of woodland on the edge of my small town. two reds were chasing and fighting in a pine tree and were so busy fighting they lost their grip and thumped to the ground in a ball of angry orange fur. one then chased the other away until both were halfway up separate trees, screeching and chattering at each other, their orange fur illuminated by the winter sun. never seen this behaviour before, was very lucky that morning.
I'm in Carlisle and have been so privileged to see a red squirrel in our estate, eating from a neighbour's bird feeder. There are a few pockets of woodland in our area and apparently, although rare, there are certainly a few reds about... Thank you for your informative video(s)... I'm learning so much about UK wildlife 😊
Thank you Liam !!!
I love 💘all fur coloured squirls 😊 Ginger hair or Grey. Four visit our garden every day. They enjoy being hand fed whilst sitting on the sill of our open living room window. Been very fortunate to hand rear 2 Kits and release them back out. 😊😊😊😊😊
Great news on the pine martens! Hope! Lovely video. I love watching squirrels play - and easily evade my neighbours cats! It would be amazing to see red squirrels in my local woods in southern England!
Where I live we only have red squirrels, no greys. They physically can’t get here. Reds are such cute little creatures and I always love to see them.
Like Dave I've seen them on Brownsea Island in Poole Harbour.
Also I seem to remember them on the Isle of Wight.
They are beautiful.
❤from across the pond❤ thank you for these priceless images & insights
Glad you enjoyed it! Cheers
Thank you Liam! Very enjoyable and informative. I love the 'get to the point' format of these quick overviews.
Thank you Liam for a great video
I am very fortunate to have a red squirrel that visits my garden every morning at about 11am; it eats peanuts from the bird feeder and sits in the tree watching the world go by. I live in county Wicklow in the Republic of Ireland and there seem to be pockets across the country where the reds are making a come back. I've heard there are also pine martens around so that could explain it! Great video :-)
Love your channel. So soothing.
Thank you!
I still remember as a kid seeing a few left among the grey squirrels in the London parks in the 1960s and being told the grey squirrels were out-competing them and there would eventually be none left.
Took the kids to see red squirrels at the weekend up in the Lake District. Fantastic to see. Their plight is still perilous though. A colony elsewhere in Cumbria was recently affected by a grey giving them pox
I'm lucky to live here on Anglesey where we have a thriving population of reds & no greys. The woodland that's a two minutes walk from my house has lots of them & they have become quite tame allowing you to get very near them. I also have a few coming to our communal garden feeding from my bird feeders. Love them.
What type of trees make up the woodland? Thanks
@@MicksKicks- Its a deciduous woodland with a few pines, but there are also forestry pine woods on anglesey, the reds are in those as well.
I'm on Anglesey too, in Llangefni. And like you said, the red squirrels are thriving and very tame. We absolutely love taking walks to The Dingle, and can stand and watch them for hours 🐿
@@WelshRabbit-rw2gz I live in Llangefni as well mate :D
Hi Liam, I would like to see videos about pine marten, mink, stoat, otter and other weasels live in the UK and Ireland, thank you
I'm in Blairgowrie, Scotland. I have 3 Reds visiting my garden since last year, although I've only seen 2 of them so far in 2024.
They are ALWAYS a pleasure to watch. They eat sunflower seeds from the bird seed scattered on the lawn, they eat peanuts from the bird's peanut feeder, apples thst i out for thd birds, drink from the 3 water dishes on thd lawn, but most of all, they love the hazelnuts that i put out 3-4 days a week for them. It's important to put out nuts in their shells, to keep their teeth sharp. Vitally important that all bird feeders or squrrel feeders are washed and disinfected (with specialised bird feeder disinfectant), including the water dishes.
Also, it's vitally important not to feed too many peanuts, or soley peanuts. I think this point should have been made, as too many peanuts affects their health badly.
As with ALL feed/water put out for your garden wildlife, it's a learning curve as to what feeders/water dishes work well, and are easy to clean, and which food is good/bad for them. I think one of the biggest mistakes people (including me, in the past), do, is to feed EVERY day! I only put food out 3-4 days a week. Wildlife needs to find natural food too, esp during the breeding season. Another reason not to use pestides in your garden, which kill off vital insects, caterpillers etc that the birds (including squirrels) rely upon.
Colwyn bay zoo. Had. Or still may have red squirrels lovely little creatures great information given Liam. Off to watch. More of your videos..
Rea relaxing watching your videos like this one. I love red sqirrels.so much strife in the world your work is refreshing. Long may it last.cheers and we'll done
When I was young, red squirrels were very common in the wooded valleys near my home. Sadly the last one I saw there was in the very early 80's, then greys took over.
I know of a couple of places in North Yorkshire where they've been reintroduced, though I only found out by seeing "Drive carefully. Red Squirrels !" signs by the side of (very) rural roads and haven't actually spotted a squirrel yet.
I saw some red squirrels in north yorkshire about 10 years ago but can't remember where.
So much I didn’t know about these cute squirrels Liam. Thanks for the insight. ☺️🙏
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a red squirrel, only grey ones. I know that red squirrels were introduced to the uk and basically took over red squirrel’s place.
definitely worth a thumbs up.
Thank you!
some excellent facts in this video. super interesting. i have only ever seen red squirrels behind bars, sadly. definitely one for the wild bucket list for sure. keep up the great work my friend. i will be catching up with the rest of your vids over the next few days!
I live in southern Germany and we used to have only red squirrels when I was a kid. But over the past 15 years you could watch them gradually being replaced by the greys. I heard due to global warming, they were able to venture across the Alps, "invading" from Itally. Now a days it is hard to find a red squirrel at all.
I do hope the reds are getting a chance to come back, but the greys are cute, too. 😀
Thanks Liam! Another great episode. Indeed it's a pity that the grey squirrel gets demonised because of the lack of reds. It would be nice to have both, now the greys are naturalised here.. ⭐👍
Sorry but you simply can’t have both.
Used to see them in Glasgow back in the 90s but have to go a bit further afield to see them now.
Love red squirrels, i remember when we had them here where i live. I do not blame the greys though, i blame humans, we brought them here.❤
Brilliant this is I would love to see red squirrels where I live good video
Great channel 👍🏻
Great video, have never seen a red squirrel, just greys in my neck o the woods.
Great to see, thank you 👍🏼🐿️🐿️🐿️🐿️🐿️
Thanks for watching!
Nice one buddy. Come on you reds!!! 👍👍👍
i love red squirrels! they match my hair. i visit the isle of wigit a couple of times a year, usally see a few. they are also on brownsea island the (home of scouting), where they come right up to the caffe window to get the food put out for them
Another great video.
Love these little videos. I always thought they were displaced by grey squirrels by being aggressive, not disease.
Oh grey squirrels are aggressive towards reds but there is a big problem with the pox virus passed on by greys. We lost probably half the colony we look after thru a pox outbreak after seeing a couple of greys in the area.
"Through no fault of their own" they still need culling though, for the song birds and trees let alone the reds.
Geweldig leuk beestjes om te zien. Wat zijn ze snel.
Mooi gefilmd
‘An analysis of gut microbiome shows grey squirrels have a more diverse gut bacteria. A particular type in digestive system helps break down oxalate suggesting an ability to digest calcium from tree bark and allow for better health and immunity and a broader diet than red squirrels’ Roberto La Ragione University of Surrey. In future it’s hoped this research can promote healthy gut bacteria in red squirrels.
I have not yet seen a red in the UK, I did see one in France whilst cycling near Fontainebleau.
You still see a red every now and then in the West Midlands. Rare, but they are still around over here.
I actually saw a red once back in the 90's
So seldom seen one. At the Cetre parcs in the Lake Disdrict they were numerous, but rather than being cute red, they were virtually black in colour.
There was a black variant living for a couple of years in the grounds of Hampton Court Palace that I used to see occasionally - a large male which was rather aggressive. Since birds of prey are active there I'm surprised the black-furred squirrel wasn't predated as he stuck out like a saw thumb when feeding on the ground with the numerous grey squirrels.
I thought there were 'some' in Thetford Forest (going back a few years now), but being practically on your doorstep you'd have known about it, so either my memory's playing up, or they are no more... :(
I really can't imagine the red squirrel making a comeback in England and Wales without a major campaign to irradiate the greys and I can't see that happening. Many people in urban and suburban areas actually encourage greys into their gardens with food and are unaware that this invasive species causes damage to forestry, predates wild birds and has driven our native red squirrels to offshore islands and remote areas through disease and competition. Tufty is a victim.
We have them in Ontario canada plus grey and black.
Hellloooo Liaaammmmmm sorry I didn't comment or like sooner the iPad was dead so Nan had to get a charger
Een vriendin uit Indonesie had er een thuis op kamer in zo'n indisch 'minangkarbouw'huis stijl...overdag was ie buiten slapen deed 'ie' in zijn huis thuis NL
We don't have greys here. I have only ever known red squirrels on the isle of wight
And long may that continue.
Your information about pine martens is a little out of date. While the bulk of the population is still in Scotland, a few have clung on in central Wales (notably in the upper Tywi valley - where the last native red kites were saved, of course - and surrounding woodlands) and their numbers have now been boosted by importing some Scottish martens, The effect on squirrel populations has been remarkable and mirrors the findings in the Irish Midlands: numbers of greys have plummeted in the woodlands where martens have established themselves, and numbers of reds are starting to recover to much more sustainable levels. Mid Wales Red Squirrel Project are you friends for more information
Thank you. This was an issue with my terrible geography rather than my understanding of pine martens distribution. In my head wales is northwards to most of England, but of course that is not the case. Cheers
We have the red squirrels in the west of ireland the grey squirrel never across the river shannon
have you seen any other predator eating grey squirrels in the UK besides the pine marten?
I haven't seen it, buy I suspect foxes and buzzards would both be capable of predating them.
Go Pine Martens!
😄👍
Thank you :)
💞💝💝💕💖💗💗❤❤💐🌹🌹🥀🥀🙏👍👍👌👌🤩😍😍😍 thank uuu
Ive never seen one
🤔👏👏👌❤️
Thank you.
Have we been able to immunise them against squirrel pox, or breed resistant individuals ? In Dorset around 1972, two of my uncles pointed up at a large beech tree and excitedly told me there was a red squirrel , unfortunately I didn't manage to see it. My nature keen uncles didn't see any other reds after that ☹
The hand of man should cease playing God taking wildlife out of their home country . .Canada Geese , Egyptian Geese , Grey Squirrels , European Starlings ..too name but a few. All have been misplaced and this has resulted in many loathing them .Never the fault of wildlife yet try telling all the public that..The Pine Marten is helping .Great video Liam .
do you have chipmunks? they are like red squirrels. maybe a little smaller.
There are a handful of chipmunks living wild here, but they are escapees or ones people have deliberately released.
@@AShotOfWildlife thats really interesting. they escape from a zoo?
Not a zoo, private collections mainly.
Then, everything changed when the Grey Nation attacked.
I've never seen a red squirrel. Shame really.
Me too 😔 I have never seen a red squirrel
Hey squirrel expert here, you missed the part where Victorian folk hunted reds to the point they had to bring some from The mainland to UK, wasn't illegal to hunt red's up until 1927, also cat's and cars, grey squirrels are more adept for urban area's it seems, survive off humans rubbish, plus mbd from poor diet red's have it stacked it's ok I've invented squirrel biscuit ball's healthy squirrels food
Don’t like grey squirrels, they are tree rats. Enjoyed the vid tho
This video told me nothing I needed to know about red squirrels that I didn't know already. Dismal.
Smartarse prick! 😂
Clever Dick. Anything to add then?
Lol, fair enough.
This was another awesome video :) Also, on Brownsea Island we have only Red Squirrels. They Grey Squirrel never made it over to the island. Its nice to go there to see them as well as for the variety of birds that like to go there :)