Red Squirrel
Lora rua
Sciurus vulgaris
Status :
Localised - Common
Size : 20-30 cm
Having become quite scarce due to their grey cousin, the Red Squirrel has now made a good recovery in certain areas.
They are generally somewhat shy but can become regular visitors to peoples gardens, especially if there are peanuts and bird food available. Their ability to blend in to their surroundings is highly advanced and they can climb trees very skillfully, making them hard to spot.
Ireland has several spots which have a good population of Red Squirrel, Portumna Forrest Park is one such area. The principal food of the Red Squirrel is nuts, berries and seeds as well as a range of trees and shrubs depending upon their availability. An excellent indicator of Squirrels is pine cones eaten down to their core, often in abundance under several trees.
Red Squirrels live in a drey which is similar to a birds nest in a trees upmost branches, they are round and appear to be woven. They will often take over abandoned birds nests and rebuild them to suit themselves. They will produce approximately three young every spring or summer.
This photograph was taken at Portumna Forrest Park in July 2007