Last Monday afternoon the sun decided to put in an appearance and so I took the opportunity to cut a few dead flowers from the rose bushes. I'd only just started the job when the phone rang and when I answered a voice at the other end said excitedly "We have a red squirrel in our garden! It's the first one we've seen for several years!" This was good news indeed as the garden in question isn't far from our own which means the little reds are continuing to repopulate our area.
The owners of the garden suggested I bring my camera and try to get a few pictures, but I'd have to be quick as these little animals don't hang around very long.
I threw down my secateurs, grabbed the camera and made a dash for the garden in question and as you can see, the little rascal was in no hurry to leave as it had found an excellent source of tasty peanuts.
Many people have these
bird feeders in their gardens but a squirrel doesn't need a bird's beak to access the nuts inside as its long front teeth will do the job quite adequately and will often gnaw right through the sturdy metal wires.
I'm guessing this small squirrel is from a fairly recent litter as it is a similar size to little 'Kennut' the Kentmere squirrel I featured recently.
Photographed through glass the quality of the pictures isn't too good but they were good enough for me and I was delighted to see this little creature looking so healthy.
The winter ahead will be long, cold and damp here in the Lake District and red squirrels need all the nourishment they can get before winter arrives. They don't hibernate but forage for food every day throughout the year.
Amongst the shelves of bird food in a local pet shop I was pleased to find this red squirrel mix. It contains hazelnuts, monkey nuts, sunflower seeds, peanuts and a calcium supplement. I think any red squirrel would be delighted to find it.
Finally this week I'm showing you an old photograph of a house named Allan Bank in Grasmere which isn't too far from my own home. This was the home of William Wordsworth from 1808 to 1811. These days it is owned by the National Trust and has recently undergone much renovation. This Sunday (18th August) it will be featured on BBC1 at 5.35pm. The programme entitled Britain's Big Wildlife Revival looks at some of our most endangered species. As red squirrels are now being seen again in the garden at Allan bank and all around the Grasmere area I think you'll be able to guess which animal will take centre stage in this particular part of the programme. . . . . I will be watching!
Click
HERE to discover more about Allan Bank
