Hunting for Squirrels

 We were out hunting for squirrels this morning, not any old squirrels but genuine Scottish red squirrels.

When we first came to Golspie, surrounded as it is by extensive and varied forestry, we rather assumed that the native red squirrel would be quite common. We were wrong. The red squirrel had been eliminated from the area decades ago and the nearest populations lay to the south of us.

The charity Trees for Life is reintroducing a total of twenty in two small populations during this winter as part of a project to increase the red's numbers and distribution. One is in Beinn Bhraggie woods and one in Dunrobin woods. From a casual conversation with a couple whom we met while out walking some weeks ago, who had seen them, we learned that one of the populations is at the southwestern end of Beinn Bhraggie woods, and we've now been out looking for it twice - both times without success.

We know we're searching in the right area because there are trees with squirrel peanut feeders but the squirrels were either asleep in their drays or hiding from us. A young lady who was walking her dog told us that she is in this part of the woods frequently but has yet to see them. We'll keep looking.

There's more about the Trees for Life project here.