Red Squirrels in the Forest

Ah, Red Squirrels. So beautiful. So cheeky. So damn adorable with those ear tufts. Swoon.

Ah, Red Squirrels. So beautiful. So cheeky. So damn adorable with those ear tufts. Swoon.

Red Squirrels are one of my favourite little animals to photograph. They are so inquisitive. And are very busy, from chasing each other, jumping between trees, eating hazelnuts and pine cones, and of course, sleeping in their drey. Food and sleep, an animal after my own heart.

Red Squirrels are Scotland’s native squirrel but are sadly critically endangered due to the Grey Squirrel that was ‘introduced’ (kidnapped from America and taken here) many years ago. The Greys are more dominant than our beautiful small Reds, and they carry Squirrel Pox that only affects Reds. So, unfortunately, the Reds numbers have grown smaller and smaller as the years go on. That’s why it’s so important to have so many amazing people across Scotland doing what they can to save the Red Squirrel. Scotland has the most Reds in the UK, and numbers in places are going up, such as Aberdeen. Fingers crossed the UK returns to Red Squirrel territory fully.

I think that is one of the reasons why I love these hardy little critters so much. They are endangered, yes, but they are so resilient. They will put up a fight. They will thrive. So back in November, I booked to visit a Red Squirrel hide that is deep within the Caledonian Pine Forest in the Cairngorms National Park. A full morning with the Reds.

It was so cold but the forest was still clinging to the autumnal colours. Soon, maybe even within the next few weeks, the leaves would be gone and the forest would become muted greys and browns. But for now, lush greens, oranges and yellows were all around. And so were the squirrels.

It did take a little while to see the first critter, an hour or so. A Goshawk had been spotted in the forest before, so it made sense for the Reds to wait until the coast was clear before coming out of hiding to feast on hazelnuts.

As I waited for the squirrels, I photographed the bird visitors. Coal Tit, Blackbird, Blue Tit and Great Tit were all here to capture chunks of suet that would fatten them up for their cold winter in the forest. And among those birds was the beautiful Crested Tit. A scarce bird in the UK that can only be found here in the Cairngorms.

Stunning little birds aren’t they? They have a stronghold in Abernethy and thrive well here. There were also a couple of Great Spotted Woodpeckers stealing peanuts and hazelnuts, enjoying the treats before them before heading up into the trees to start their drumming. The red mark on the back of the woodpecker’s head shows that it is a male. The female does not have a red mark on the back of her head.

After a little while of waiting and thinking the squirrels would not come, a very cheeky Red Squirrel managed to evade me by creeping behind the hide and stealing hazelnuts from the large barrel that the supply was kept in. And soon after that, the cheeky critters began to show. I counted five individuals who spent over two hours around the hide, feasting on their favourite - hazelnuts.

I had a very difficult November and an even more difficult end to 2023 with anxiety, so I’m just getting around now to writing about my adventures before this happened. As I sit here on a cold Sunday night, warm in bed and typing away, I feel a bit sad knowing that I had this amazing and lovely time with the Red Squirrels but at the time, my brain was struggling so badly that I couldn’t find the happiness that I thought I would have. But now as I look through the photos I captured, I am happy. I remember now the feelings of joy trying to escape me when I saw the birds and the squirrels. I remember laughing as my other half held out his hand and a Coal Tit perched on his middle finger and he gently ‘handed’ the bird to me and it jumped over onto my hand. A very young Red Squirrel decided to perch on a tree stump right next to the hide for half an hour and made me smile, letting me get my dream photos of a squirrel. Photography, no matter what your skill is, can help us remember moments that anxiety made us forget.

Take care,
Rebecca