Squirrels Life in my local patch

During the lockdown, I spent quite a bit photographing squirrels at my local patch Vincents Woods (on my route to and from). Standing quietly, following them and trying to capture them in action or stillness. They do spot me occasionally, standing their ground telling me off, but overall they go about their business without noticing me too much. I love how they play and move quickly between trees. Capturing the action is sometimes having luck on my side.

As I capture the Squirrels so much, I thought I would research them and find 10 important facts.

1) Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

2) Habitat - Prefers mature deciduous woodland and common in parks and gardens in towns and cities.

3) Distribution: Native to North America. Introduced species in Great Britain, Ireland, and South Africa.

4) Size: Head and body about 25-30cm. Tail about 20-25cm. Weight: 350-600g

5) Life Span: Some live up to 10 years in the wild, although most only manage 3-4 years.

6) Food: Hazelnuts, acorns, beech mast, tree bark, fungi buds, leaves, shoots, flowers; will also raid birds' nests for eggs and young.

7) Estimated population of 2.5 million in the UK.

8) Grey Squirrel is diurnal and most active at dawn and dusk, searching for available food.

9) Compared with the red squirrel, it spends more time foraging and feeding on the ground than in the trees.

10) During winter, the grey squirrel does not hibernate as it cannot store enough energy to survive for long periods without food.

The facts are fascinating; I never knew this about them. If you would like to read more on the Grey Squirrels, here is a link. Squirrels | Wildlife World | Squirrel Facts

Here are some of my favorite photos.

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