I snapped this little chap just off the Tarka Trail near Petrockstow Station. He was as bold as brass stuffing his cheek pouches with lovely golden-brown chestnuts just a few meters from my feet, returning after hiding them to the same feeding spot repeatedly. Look out for them wherever there are trees along the trail, and by spotting where they are collecting food, a little patience and stillness should be rewarded with some close encounters!
The grey squirrel was deliberately introduced to England in 1876 and to Scotland in 1892, and its competitive edge against the red squirrel soon saw our native species' decline. Their success today sees greys outnumber reds by about twenty to one, and our nearest red squirrels are on Tresco (Isles of Scilly) or Brownsea Island (Poole Harbour). With the Cornwall Red Squirrel Project's work however, it is not impossible that one day we may see red squirrels on the Tarka Trail.
The grey squirrel was deliberately introduced to England in 1876 and to Scotland in 1892, and its competitive edge against the red squirrel soon saw our native species' decline. Their success today sees greys outnumber reds by about twenty to one, and our nearest red squirrels are on Tresco (Isles of Scilly) or Brownsea Island (Poole Harbour). With the Cornwall Red Squirrel Project's work however, it is not impossible that one day we may see red squirrels on the Tarka Trail.