Red squirrel as regular visitor

For the last couple of weeks a red squirrel has been a regular visitor to the peanut feeders in the garden. An attempt at a window hung feeder resulted in a very undignified fall from grace, which hasn't been repeated! As I was keen to keep the feeders in reasonable condition we've been putting nuts and other food out loose in the woodshed for the squirrel, and have had some splendid views of him eating quarered apple, hazelnuts in their shells and quantities of peanuts. The visit never lasts more than about half an hour, so other gardens are probably being visited as well.

I was a bit concerned that putting food out for the squirrel would make it dependant on us for food, so I e-mailed Richard Wales, the Red Squirrel officer and his response was reassuring. He said "As far as feeding goes, at present you are doing the best thing possible for the red. Last autumn was very poor as far as food availability goes so it really is a very lean time for squirrels. The squirrel will continue to supplement its diet with other foods. At present it is also the breeding season with many squirrels already having given birth so again the easy availability of your food is a big help."

If you see a red squirrel you can report your sighting on the website: http://www.red-squirrels.org.uk/ and if you manage to get a picture it can be added to the gallery. Our rather fuzzy picture, taken through the kitchen window is here.