Squirrel McNutkin 11th September 2019

Arran, being an island, has managed to resist invasion by the Grey Squirrel and consequently has a healthy population of our native Red Squirrel which is all to the good, as far as I am concerned. Grey Squirrels are now considered a pest in many parts of Great Britain as they have become so numerous and they certainly do not endear themselves with their predilection for raiding bird feeders, stealing eggs and young from bird's nests and worst of all carrying the virus squirrelpox to which they are immune but the Red Squirrel is not.

The Grey Squirrel, a native of North America is without doubt familiar to one and all, being found in even the most urban and suburban of locations where there are parks, large gardens and various open spaces. Many people find their antics engaging and gain pleasure from their often confiding nature where they come into regular contact with the public but if the same public were to meet a Red Squirrel then I would wager they would soon change allegiance.

Red Squirrels are smaller than the Grey Squirrel and have lovely, rich chestnut fur and a similar coloured, very bushy, long tail. Their cuteness factor is right up there with the best and it is no coincidence that Beatrix Potter made a Red Squirrel the main character in one of her fairy tale books, The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin.

Red Squirrels, out competed in the face of the larger, stronger more aggressive Grey Squirrel, have retreated to isolated pockets of habitat on the mainland of Britain, chiefly in Scotland and culling of the Grey Squirrel is often required for them to continue to thrive in some mainland locations in England. Islands such as Arran provide a much more secure and safe refuge for Red Squirrels and here they can be encountered in woods, gardens or even crossing the road and in our case, visiting the back door of our rented cottage to gather the peanuts we put out for them, which they hid in the grass and surrounding areas for the harder times to come in winter.

I noticed that a Red Squirrel would visit the unmade back thoroughfare, no more than a track really, that runs behind our cottage and below the steep hillside beyond. In the main it would visit in the early morning, usually from between seven to nine am and then again in the evening from five onwards. It was relatively shy and if there was any sign of human activity immediately scampered off into the neighbouring gardens. I purchased some shelled peanuts and sprinkled them outside the back door one evening to tempt the squirrel and sat at the kitchen window to await developments.

A wait of an hour ensued and, almost at the point of giving up, I was rewarded with a Red Squirrel scampering across the stones and grass and proceeding to gather a number of the peanuts in its mouth and then running off to bury them. Five minutes later the squirrel was back for more nuts and repeated this exercise on numerous occasions until it was disturbed by a local resident returning from work and came no more.

I resolved to get up early the next morning to see if the squirrel would come again and sure enough just before seven it appeared and proceeded to gather yet more peanuts and run off to bury them Every so often, on one of its numerous visits, it would take the time to stop and eat a peanut or tiring of gathering shelled peanuts tackle a peanut in its shell, some of which I had also distributed outside.

For over an hour I watched its comings and goings and during the following hour there came another squirrel, so there were two present although they did not get on and the original one was obviously dominant over the other which appeared to be slightly smaller. A kind of truce was reached when each squirrel only took nuts from their particular side of the back door and having done so would scamper off to secrete them, each in the opposite direction.             

At first I was wary about disturbing them and photographed them through the mercifully clean kitchen window but in the end I opened the back door and stood just inside as the squirrels came to within feet of me, so close I could hear their long sharp claws scratching on the small stones. So long as I made no sudden movement or the slightest noise and was ultra cautious they remained unafraid. One even ventured over the threshold and sat briefly on the WELCOME back door mat to chew at a nut!

Observing these attractive creatures at such close range enabled me to see that both had a distinct dark and smoky grey saddle on their back and the sides of their heads were brownish grey but otherwise they were a rich reddish chestnut on their upperbody and white from their chest downwards on their underparts, the chestnut as bright as I have ever seen on a Red Squirrel. Christmas last we had one visit us in another garden on Arran that was much darker, the chestnut much obscured by greyer fur presumably due to the squirrel having grown a winter coat although it seemed much too dark to be normal and there are persistent rumours of darker coloured Red Squirrels on Arran.

The 'dark' Red Squirrel we saw at Christmas 2018

The two squirrels this morning looked to be young ones, although I am no expert, lithe and slightly gawky but in the bloom of youth. The impression they were young ones was enhanced by the fact they did not have the familiar tufts on the tips of their ears.

No matter, it was a pleasure to entertain them and yet another reason to love visiting Arran.