Red Squirrel?

WindSock

Took this snap of a squirrel in the Botanics earlier this year. I am not sure if it is a red one, as I have seen lots of greys that seem to have reddish pathes on them. This one looked a bit different though...could it be my first red one in the wild?

Oops, sorry about size. Thought I resized that bad boy.

OpenYourEyes

Definatly a Grey for me! Reds have longer ears and a more definite red colour, like in this pic by Calochortus in the "Some pictures I took recently" thread: http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=72156199&postcount=871

Im almost certain there are no Reds in Dublin anymore, or if there are that they're in one or two places (St. Annes park in Raheny and Killiney spring to mind as the last 2 places that there were Reds) and are down to a handful of individuals.

Mothman

Agree with it being a Grey

ytpe2r5bxkn0c1

Looks like a Grey to me. The Reds can show Grey and Greys Red at times.:)

Browning

This is a Grey squirrel.

Calochortus

I agree - definite grey. There has recently been a cull of grey squirrels in the Botanic gardens in Dublin. They had really gotten out of control there.

Grid.

I'm yet to spot a Red Squirrel!:(

tricky D

There are Red Squirrels in the Deerpark behind Howth Castle. Might try to get a photo in the next few days.

Buddinplant

that be a grey, the reds are half the size compared to that lot. when i was studying in the Bots, we were confused to for a while... some of the greys looked as if there had been cross breeding, but from sheer size and lack of shyness, ( was peed on by one very curious blighter during a break from class) greys all the way.

the reds tend to have tufts of fur at the tips of the ears too.

Half-cocked

tricky D wrote: »

There are Red Squirrels in the Deerpark behind Howth Castle. Might try to get a photo in the next few days.

Yes, I've seen them there. AFAIK the Greys haven't made it to Howth head yet?

Roselm

There are red squirrels in St. Anne's park too

Tabnabs

I saw two red squirrels at the top of Bohernabreena reservoir (upper valley end) last week. The two most poorly camouflaged animals I've seen in a long time

On the same day I saw six fallow deer, a pheasant, two raptors of some description and the two aforementioned squirrels.

Brian CivilEng

Roselm wrote: »

There are red squirrels in St. Anne's park too

I don't think so. The place is overrun with greys, I live just down the road and go walking there on an almost daily basis.

F.R.

Roselm wrote: »

There are red squirrels in St. Anne's park too

There are no red squirrels in St. Anne's Park, the last two died a couple of years ago.

fnaulty

The only red squirrels in Dublin are in Killiney and Howth!

V Bull

A while back, some of you guys posted some great pics of Red Squirrels from time to time. I was a green eyed monster looking at them as I haven't seen one for more than 30yrs, possibly more...

But today is a different day as I was treated to a beauty.. This little guy was very active, jumping from tree to tree, grabing a nut then back to the Pine to eat it.. just brilliant.. I'm sure he saw me as I was parked only about 50-70m away on higher ground...Anyway, enjoy..:)







The Jump..



The Snatch..

ch750536

Shot this one a few weeks back. Camera not doing justice.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7AKWFFXe6XM

Birdnuts

Saw the biggest Red Squirrel in my life last week on the SW Shore of the Blessington lakes near Polluphuca. It was so big that at first I thought it was a Pine Martin as it scampered up the trunk of a Larch. Great to know they are around given that its the first I''ve seen in the Lakes area:)

whyulittle

Caught this on the news this evening.....

Baby Squirrels Rescued After Nest Disaster

Bexster

Hi,
I live in Howth and have had a Red Squirrel as a frequent visitor in my back garden! I'm surprised as we have 2 cats and 2 dogs running round but the squirrel seems to be holding his own!

I'll try n post a pic!

Kicking Bird

He/she is certainly a brave little critter,especially with the cats about!!

It's a nice pic - well done!

fnaulty

Nice picture. It is good to see the reds are being seen in Howth. The council are trying to safeguard their future.

Bexster

Are the red squirrels currently protected in Ireland? just wondering if we should be doing anything to help our little squirrel friend.

F.R.

Red squirrels are protected under the Fifth Schedule of the Wildlife Act 1976 and the Wildlife (Amendment) Act 2000.

Kicking Bird

Hi Bexster,

Yes,Red Squirrels are a protected species here in Ireland.They're protected under the Bern/Berne Convention(Annex iii) which we as a nation have signed up to;it would be worth 'googling/Wiki-ing' the Bern Convention(where it can be explained far better than I ever could here!).

He/She seems to be doing quite fine judging by the pic you sent earlier.I see you seem to be feeding it,which is good.My only concern would be feeding him/her on the ground where there's the possibility that the dog or cat may pounce!If you have a tree in the garden and are a good woodworker,I'd make a small platform which could be secured high up on the tree(just out of reach of the cats in particular);you could place the nuts,berries,etc. on this.

Where there's one,there's surely got to be more.I presume there are quite a number of coniferous trees in the area,which is there preferred habitat.

They are certainly outnumbered by their grey cousins.It was a common belief that the greys actually physically killed the Reds,but it would appear now that when the Greys arrive in the Red's territory they merely outmuscle and outcompete their smaller cousins for territory and food.A recent development in the Red Squirrel's plight is its susceptibilty to a pox virus,which the Grey is a carrier of but is not harmed by(don't worry,this cannot be contracted by humans!).

One thing I would recommend you do is visit the National Biodiversity Data Centre(I've attached a link here):http://www.biodiversityireland.ie/

If you go to the 'Submit Records' section,you can report your sighting of the Red Squirrel,which will be entered onto a database.This gives those concerned an idea where there are viable populations of these mammals and will in turn help their survival in your area(well that's the theory!).

I hope I've been of some assistance to you.

All the best!





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downonthefarm

afaik the grey numbers have been falling due to the abundance of mink

Kicking Bird

downonthefarm wrote: »

afaik the grey numbers have been falling due to the abundance of mink

And Pine Martens too!Although an abundance of Pine Martens might not be correct as yet,but their population does appear to be growing.I saw a Pine Marten only a couple of weeks ago myself - I was thrilled!

downonthefarm

ah deadly have seen plenty of mink around here but never a pine martin

Kicking Bird

downonthefarm wrote: »

ah deadly have seen plenty of mink around here but never a pine martin

Yeah,several years ago I was driving home from work and saw what I thought was one killed on the road(it was too large to be a stoat),but I unfortunately didn't stop to check for sure.Sure enough,several weeks ago I was walking the dog close to a conifer plantation literally 5oo metres away from where I saw the dead one,and my eye was drawn to something which was scurrying up a tree - a Pine Marten;so it seems there must be a viable population of these critters in this particular area.The area itself is on the edge of the Bog of Allen which makes sense.

Birdnuts

downonthefarm wrote: »

afaik the grey numbers have been falling due to the abundance of mink

Its Pine Martens that are curbing Grey squirrel numbers. They both occupy the same sort of habitat. Mink are much more tied to water/riparian habitats so would not encounter squirrels very often, at least not compared to the Pine Marten.

Kicking Bird

Birdnuts wrote: »

Its Pine Martens that are curbing Grey squirrel numbers. They both occupy the same sort of habitat. Mink are much more tied to water/riparian habitats so would not encounter squirrels very often, at least not compared to the Pine Marten.

Funny enough,I came across a mink only last week whilst walking along the river Slate.Unfortunately,it had been deliberately killed(they're obviously not fishermen's best friends!).

Such a pity,because they're a beautiful looking creature,as are the Grey Squirrels,but I guess it ain't their fault they're here,is it?

Birdnuts

Kicking Bird wrote: »

Such a pity,because they're a beautiful looking creature,as are the Grey Squirrels,but I guess it ain't their fault they're here,is it?

Its not their fault but all the same they have to be treated like any other non-native invasive threat to our natural heritage such as Rhododendron, Giant Hogweed etc. Hence the current bounty on both species.

Kicking Bird

Birdnuts wrote: »

Its not their fault but all the same they have to be treated like any other non-native invasive threat to our natural heritage such as Rhododendron, Giant Hogweed etc. Hence the current bounty on both species.

Although it kills me to say it,you're right!