Red Squirrel week from 28th September to 4 October

Running from 28 September – 4 October 2016, Red Squirrel Week gives you the chance to get involved with projects throughout the UK which have been set up to help our woodland friends.

It is estimated that there are only 140,000 red squirrels left in the UK. You’re more likely to have seen grey squirrels, natives of the eastern and mid western United States, who are fast displacing our own native red squirrels.

So what else do we know about our beautiful squirrels? They are quite mysterious animals! They like to hide out in tree tops and snack on pine cones. How will you know if there are red squirrels nearby if you can’t see them? Their large dreys (nests) will be visible along with chewed pine cones scattered around the forest.

Across the country there are many red squirrel conservation projects. In the North of England you can become an active member of your local red squirrel group or donate to this very special cause. There are similar projects in Scotland and Wales that you can get involved with as well, or if you’re simply nutty about squirrels, you can even adopt one!

Formby’s Reds

National Trust Formby supplement Red Squirrels’ natural pine cone diet by putting out a small quantity of peanuts and sunflower seeds in to our specially designed Squirrel feeders. This helps to monitor the population and also to keep an eye out for any sick or injured squirrels looking for an easy meal. It also has the added bonus of making the squirrels easier to spot for visitors. They have a fantastic team of volunteers whose role it is to top up the feeders daily and chat to visitors about the Reds as they go around.

you can Explore beautiful woodlands surrounding Formby, home to the rare native red squirrel.

Find out more here: https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/formby/trails/formby-red-squirrel-walk

Thank you to Mike Graham for that beautiful photo.

.