I've had the pleasure of watching these little beauties in the wild in Scotland on a few occasions.
They are always entertaining and so they proved again yesterday!
Entering the walk-through Red Squirrel enclosure we didn't know what to expect.
The enclosure itself is a rough grass area with scattered trees and in the centre is a circular boardwalk. There are a few wire mesh enclosures within this complex, presumably so that the squirrels can be locked in when necessary.
This area also housed the Muntjac Deer, but to be honest it was the Red Squirrels that provided all the entertainment again.
The squirrels would suddenly appear from behind you and before you knew it they would run up your trouser leg ( the outside of your trouser I hasten to add ) and across your back or over your shoulder. At one point one perched itself on my camera lens.
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| A close encounter! |
The only problem here was that the weather wasn't being kind, and the trees were blocking out most of the light from this area.
Once the squirrels appeared in the brighter spots you had to make the most of it.
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| About to pounce on Brian |
You had to be on your guard because they would appear from different directions and before you knew it you had a squirrel attached to you.
Wearing a fleece was a good move as the claws had no impact on me, but one guy wearing only a thin T-shirt wasn't quite as fortunate. The claws can be quite sharp!
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| Planning it's next attack |
One decided to sit and eat on a nearby log. This area was quite dark but I managed the shot below.
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| Red Squirrel |
The next post will feature another species I've seen on a couple of occasions in the wild.
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