Spotting mammals

Red squirrels

The red squirrel is native to Britain and is smaller than the American grey. The surviving pockets of reds, which live mainly in coniferous woodland, are under constant pressure from greys as well as from a squirrel disease called parapox virus. However, they are still found in the Scottish Borders and the north of Scotland, in Northern Ireland (try Belvoir Forest Park, Belfast) as well as in parts of Cumbria and Northumberland. Further south they are easy to see at Formby on the Lancashire coast, and they can also be spotted on Brownsea Island, Dorset, and in woods on the Isle of Wight. Sitting still at the base of a tree will make you almost invisible to a busy red squirrel, the only UK mammal truly active in daytime.