Squirrels
usually live in woodlands and wooded areas. Occasionally, they are found
in the middle of fields, or on open moorland - but this unusual behaviour
is usually because the squirrel has gone looking for a new woodland home
and has got lost.
Woods are a good place to live, because they are full of undisturbed nooks
and crannies in which to hide. A wood lasts a long time - so any good places
to shelter are likely to be there for a long time. Squirrels live in all
types of woodland. They have a home area of up to 7 hectares (roughly 65
football pitches!), which they explore when looking for food and shelter.
Top
Having a warm and safe place to sleep, shelter and raise a family is a top priority for any animal. In the squirrels' case, the home can be either a natural tree hollow or a nest it makes itself. These two types of home are known as Dens and Dreys. Top
A den is a hollow space in a tree (this may have previously been made by a woodpecker), which the squirrel lines with soft and warm leaves, grasses and mosses. This provides an excellent safe and warm place for the squirrel to sleep and shelter from the elements. Dens are always hard to find because they are hidden away; they are generally built up in a tree and are often only spotted when you actually see the squirrel disappear inside. Top
A drey is a ball shaped nest about 50 centimeters across, made by the squirrel in the cleft of a tree. The nest is constructed of twigs and sticks that the squirrel carefully makes into a shelter. The twigs are built so that the centre is hollow; this hollow is then filled with soft material, just as with the den . The squirrel makes the nest by carefully selecting twigs, nibbling them off and then putting them into place using its teeth and front paws. A squirrel may make many trips back and forth to make its drey. A well made one may last for two or three years, through wind, rain and storms.
Making a nest on the outside of the tree means that it might be exposed to the wind and rain more easily. To try and solve this problem the squirrel is careful about where it makes its drey. Right in the middle of the tree, near the trunk is a much better place than out on the end of the branches. Near the trunk, there will be more leaf cover to protect from the rain, and the branch will move less, making it less likely that the drey will be blown or shaken apart. The squirrel also makes its drey quite high up in the tree (over 5 metres). The higher up the squirrel, the less likely it is to be found by ground predators like foxes or cats.
Just
as squirrel will happily find enough to eat in both conifer and deciduous
woods, they are also equally happy to make their nest in either coniferous
or deciduous woods. Red squirrels seem to be more successful in coniferous
forests, while grey squirrels prefer broad-leaved forests.
Squirrels normally use more than one drey or den at a time, swapping every
few days. This provides them with an alternative home if their nest becomes
wet or is destroyed in bad weather. It also allows the squirrel to reduce
the level of parasite infestation they suffer by leaving parasites behind
in the nest. Top
No! Squirrels are active virtually every day - yes that's right - every day. This includes the winter too. So, we can rule out the misconception that squirrels hibernate. Unlike dormice and bats, which put on lots of body fat and then hibernate, the squirrel keeps on going right through the winter. During the autumn the squirrels do put on body weight - but nowhere near enough to make hibernation possible. Only really windy, cold or wet weather keeps the squirrels tucked away in their nests. But if the weather stays bad for a few days they will have to come out and search for food anyway.
Squirrels are most active first thing in the morning, Unfortunately for us, one or two hours after dawn is the best time to see them! Once they've digested their mornings' food they will also be active at other times throughout the day, but this varies. The search for food is never ending, and this is nearly always the reason why squirrels are out and about. Top
Shelter isn't the only reason that squirrels live in woods. The other reason is equally important - woods are good for squirrels because they offer an abundance of food.
Squirrels will eat a very wide range of foods. What they eat at a particular time depends very much on its availability. This is called non-selective feeding. Of all the foods eaten by squirrels, tree seed is the most important. This includes such things as pine seeds, beech nuts, acorns and hazel nuts. These are all large seeds and they provide a lot of food for the squirrel.
Some of the other things that the squirrels eat include fungi, flowers, berries and shoots. These are all available at different times of the year and eating them when they become available helps the squirrel through the year. Top
Squirrels have there origins some 34 million years ago.There are over 260 species of squirrels and they are not too different from their ancestors.The Red Squirrel is the only native species to our island and did not appear until around the end of the Ice Age about 10,000 years ago.
There are records available to indicate that numbers of reds were dropping in the 15th and 16th centuries because of the vast number of trees required for home consumption such as ship building.The 19th century saw an attempt to redress the balance by planting of trees becoming so successful that in some areas the red was seen as a pest to such an extent that the Hihgland Squirrel Club recorded the destruction of 82,000 Red Squirrels between 1903 and 1933. Top
The setting up of the reserves in the north of England was and is a cause of concern. It was felt in some quarters that the rest of Northumberland had been abandoned.However this policy has gone some way to galvanizing the formation of groups to protect their own colonies of reds.It is without doubt the reason why because of the work of the voluntary sector reds are still surviving in certain parts of Northumberland.There is no better example of this than the efforts of Ponteland who have achieved fantastic results over the past few years and set a standard for all to follow.
It is probably true to say that the reaction of the general public to the policy was under estimated and that the findings of Dr Peter Lurz were misinterpreted. They were by this writer who apologises unreservedly for allegations made in the past.
The policy was fine in principal but with the limited resources available impossible to achieve.
HOW IS THIS TO BE ACTUALLY ACHIEVED? Top
There are still pockets of reds in Co. Durham.
Gibside which is owned by The National Trust, Killhope Lead Mining Museum, Beamish Woods near Beamish Museum and a private estate in Chester le Street. There has been a report of a red in the Derwent Valley in Feb this year. Top
The red squirrel is a protected species under The Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981. It is an offence to
It is essential that dreys are identified to ensure that the chances of trees being felled is reduced to an absolute minimum. Planning applications should be checked to ensure compliance with the law. Report any suspicions of illegal felling of trees to either the police or The Wildlife Trust. Top
Known predators are domestic cats and dogs,goshawks and other raptors,red foxes and pine martens. Young reds are vulnerable to stoats,weasels and mink.
Goshawks and other raptors are by far the greatest danger to our reds. Their numbers are increasing and their range widens.It is vitally important that feeding stations for reds are situated under trees to give some form of overhead cover. Once a goshawk has established where food can be found it will use that area as a "fly through restaurant" with dire consequences. Goshawks have been seen in the Longhirst & Ulgham area and pose a serious threat to local reds. The frustrating aspect is that the goshawk was illegally released in Kielder but nothing can be done to reduce their numbers. There are believed to be between 40 and 50 breeding pairs in Kielder. 1 pair could take 30 to 40 reds in a year. Top
This section has been put on hold to give certain people time to reflect on their approach to Red Squirrel Conservation.
. Top
