The Dark Squirrel

We're seeing one or more of the red squirrels almost every time we walk along the section of path down to the village which we call Squirrel Alley, perhaps because the deciduous trees have now lost most of their leaves and because, with winter here, the squirrels are coming to the feeders.

This squirrel has been particularly difficult to photograph. However, today, instead of scampering up the tree as it usually does, it spent more time stationery, watching me and....

....clawing at the tree, perhaps hoping that the noise would chase me away. When I didn't go, the squirrel gave up, turned round, and....

....made its way to the ground, with several stops to make the clawing noises again, and then disappeared into a dense gorse thicket.

This is very different behaviour to the other squirrels which, when they want to get away from us, climb up one of the taller trees and then make their escape along the higher branches.

There's something else about this squirrel: although it isn't very evident from the pictures, it's coat is definitely a few shades darker than the others.