Best places to see Red Squirrels - Glens of Antrim
GLENARM FOREST – Feeders on the loop walk.
CRANNY FALLS, Carnlough – Feeders can be spotted along the walk. The reds are very shy in this area, with feeders placed just off the path to try to accommodate this.
GLENARIFF FOREST – Feeders along the entrance road, in the garden area and at the Laragh Lodge Restaurant area.
COTTAGE WOOD, Cushendall – Feeders are placed along the woodland walk, and the Red Squirrels are fairly used to being watched and can be spotted playing in the treetops.
CUSHENDUN RED SQUIRREL PLAYGROUND, Glenmona House – Feeders next to Glenmona House offer you the chance of seeing reds between the Old Church and Glenmona House. Red Squirrels can be seen using the ropes.
CREGAGH WOOD, Cushendun – Feeders at the hide offer visitors an opportunity to see Red Squirrels and birds that are used to activity in this area. However, Red Squirrels can be seen feeding and playing naturally along the woodland walk if people make the effort and take their time when walking through the woods; these encounters can be truly magical in such a wild area.
BALLYCASTLE FOREST – Feeders along the loop walk offer people the chance to stop and monitor the feeders. It can be a challenging walk, but it offers locations for those wanting to see Red Squirrels.
BREEN OAK WOOD – Not a GRSG feeding site, as it is managed by NIEA. There are feeders dotted around the nature reserve.
The Red Squirrel.
Catching sight of the distinctive copper fur of the Red Squirrel is a special moment. This short guide answers a few basic questions on the Red Squirrel.
What do Red Squirrels eat?
Tree seeds, fungi, berries, birds’ eggs and even sap are eaten by Red Squirrels. They love hazelnuts but have trouble digesting acorns, unlike Grey Squirrels, who love them. Squirrels have an exceptionally good sense of smell. They can find food buried underneath 1/3 meter of snow, and they know if a nut is rotten without opening it.
How do Red Squirrels live?
Squirrels make more than one drey (nest) to confuse predators and in case one gets damaged. They will abandon a drey if it is too full of fleas. Their dreys are an untidy ‘football-sized’ ball of twigs and are difficult to spot from the ground. Unlike birds’ nests, they are built very close to the trunk or in the strong forks of a tree. Fungi may be taken into the drey to dry out, and, because Red Squirrels do not hibernate, they bury other leftover food in holes or crevices to be eaten when food is scarce.
Red Squirrel vs Grey Squirrel: habitat and population densities
It is a myth that Red Squirrels prefer pine forests and greys prefer mixed broadleaf woods. Both prefer mixed broadleaf woods and the variety of nuts and seeds found there. Reds have been forced out of mixed broadleaf woods as the greys dominate the food supply there. One hectare of perfect woodland can support one Red Squirrel, whereas it can support anything from three to thirty Grey Squirrels. Red and grey squirrels cannot breed together.
The Grey Squirrel
Grey Squirrels were introduced to the UK from North America by the Victorians in the 1800s. Grey Squirrels are larger and heavier than Red Squirrels. Greys average 48cm (including tail) in length, which is 26%/10cm more than the average for reds. In weight, however, the greys average 575g compared to the red average of 305g, a difference of almost 90% more in favour of the more stocky/muscular grey. The Grey Squirrels also have a superior memory, allowing them to recover their own caches – and steal those of the Red Squirrels.
Telling the difference based on colour only can be difficult, as greys can have a red/brown tinge to their fur. Almost all reds will grow the characteristic ear tufts, but only during the winter. The best way to tell them apart is to look at the tail. The Grey Squirrel’s tail fur is “white-coloured” at the end of each hair. This gives a sort of halo/shimmery look, whereas the Red Squirrel’s tail may be anything from black to red to white, or a mixture of these colours, but it definitely does not have the white halo on its tail.
Red Squirrel vs Grey Squirrel: diet
The grey, whilst eating the same food as the red, has a competitive advantage in that it can eat seeds and nuts before they have fully ripened. Its digestive system can cope with the Tannins, whereas the Red Squirrels cannot. This means that the greys can access and deplete the food source earlier than the reds
Do Grey Squirrels kill Red Squirrels?
No, the Grey Squirrel will not kill the Red Squirrel, but they will bully them when they meet. The Grey Squirrel can carry the Squirrel pox virus. This virus contributed greatly to the reduction of the Red Squirrel population.
Destructive nature of the Grey Squirrel.
Of great concern is the extent of Grey Squirrel tree damage, particularly to juvenile trees (oak, beech, hornbeam, wild cherry, etc.), as they strip the bark to get at the sap. They will also eat any bird’s eggs that they find.
Feeding Red Squirrels
Red Squirrels love sunflower seeds. As for which type, black sunflower seeds are the best; they provide better nutrition and less husk waste than the stripped sunflower seeds. Sunflower hearts and peanuts are very expensive, and we do not normally give them to our Red Squirrels. Peanuts – shelled or unshelled – tend to absorb moisture and can be mouldy and develop aflatoxins, which are harmful to both wildlife and humans. If you use peanuts, be sure that they stay dry and change them out of your feeders frequently if they are not consumed quickly.
We do use peanuts as bait and to attract pine martins to some of our sites. There are “commercial Red Squirrel foods” available, but they are also expensive.
When buying feed, it is more economical to buy in bulk, and you can do this from the following two suppliers who supply us:
Steels Farm Supplies, 32 Market St, Ballymoney, BT53 6EE (almost opposite the Fire Station in Ballymoney) or William Hamill & Sons, 80 Hazelbank Rd, Aughafatten, Ballymena BT42 4LT.
Other suppliers will also provide feed in bulk.
Red Squirrels will also eat apples, carrots, strawberries, grapes and raspberries (do experiment with other fruits). Do leave out fresh water for them. Do not give them processed foods. You will find that your reds abandon you late August until about November; this is normal. In the wild, Red Squirrels feed on shoots and flowers in spring, and then nuts and fruits in autumn and winter. The critical period to feed reds is during the spring and summer months before the fruits and nuts are ripe, when their natural food is in short supply. Continued feeding throughout the winter will also provide an additional boost to the squirrels.
Squirrel Pox: A Guide to this fatal squirrel disease including symptoms and causes - and its deadly effect on Red Squirrel populations
Squirrel pox: A guide to this fatal squirrel disease, including symptoms and causes – and its deadly effect on Red Squirrel populations
Squirrel pox is a deadly disease for Red Squirrels. The Red Squirrel Survival Trust explains what you need to know.
What is Squirrel pox?
Squirrel pox is a fatal, yet easily transmitted, virus that affects only Red Squirrels and is transmitted by Grey Squirrels. There is evidence, however, that some reds are also developing immunity to it
When did Squirrel pox first arrive in the UK?
Squirrel pox virus (SQPV) is suspected to have been in the UK since at least 1900, with the first confirmed case in Norfolk in 1980. It is thought that the arrival of the Grey Squirrel heralded the beginning of the disease, as there are no records of anything like it before their arrival.
In their native North America, greys suffer a similar infection to SQPV caused by a different viral agent, and some have also been found to have antibodies to the UK disease too, supporting the theory that the virus arrived in Britain with American imports.
How deadly is Squirrel pox?
Once a Red Squirrel has the disease, it is rare for it to survive. Symptoms are similar to those of a rabbit with Myxomatosis – lethargy and panting. Swollen lesions appear around the mouth, nose, eyes, ears and genitalia, with death normally occurring within 10-15 days.
Red Squirrels in your Garden
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