You might have thought you were the only gardener in your garden, but little Irish red squirrels have a few tricks up their own sleeves! It's not well known but their habit of burying nuts for the winter in the wide areas of mixed woodland where they thrive helps native tree species to grow and spread, especially where they've been cut down.
They're one of the quickest and most agile native animals in Ireland, leaping nimbly from tree to tree, although they are usually less than a foot in length – half of which is bushy tail – and can see very clearly in all sorts of environments.
Sadly the native red squirrel is in decline for several reasons. A competing foreign squirrel, the grey squirrel, was introduced a while back and has proven to be both more adaptable to mixed rural/forest environments, it's twice the size of the native red and knows to search along the forest floor for the caches of nuts left behind by red squirrels. If it finds them it will eat them, leaving none for post hibernation reds.
Pine Martins, foxes and hunting birds have also depleted the population of red squirrels in Ireland, as well as damage caused by domestic pets and cars.
Red squirrels also need a wide area to forage in, with a mix of trees to nest in and eat from, both deciduous and conifers or evergreens. They eat pine nuts, various seeds, bark, sap, buds and fungi as well as any fruits or berries they can find.
You can get squirrel feeders which will help to keep them well fed and happy throughout the year.
Enjoy your garden!
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