Red squirrels have a new ally, according to Scientists from Queen’s University Belfast – the pine marten. They prey on both red and grey squirrels, but this new research has found out that the reds seem to be more aware of the danger presented by the pine martens and are therefore less likely to be picked off than the greys.
Researchers were aware that pine martens were helping red squirrel numbers and causing declines in the numbers of greys, but they weren’t sure why until now. So, how did the team at Queen’s University Belfast discover the reason? They applied the pine marten’s scent to squirrel feeding stations throughout Northern Ireland. The red squirrels responded by being more vigilant, whereas the greys just carried on as normal and that makes them more vulnerable. Hopefully, they won’t wise up any time soon.
I was thrilled to read about this research, as it proves that there may be ‘natural’ ways of controlling the grey squirrel population. Of course, we know that nature is the best way of controlling nature, but we seem to like wading in to sort ‘problems’ out and often make the imbalances that we have caused much worse. I hope that the pine martens can continue to be an inadvertent help to red squirrels.
With all that in mind, I’m posting this red squirrel image today that was taken in the Queen Elizabeth Forest Park in Aberfoyle at the end of October 2018. I’m not usually keen on shots with wildlife on feeders, as I prefer to have minimal human elements in the shot unless it’s a deliberate decision for urban wildlife images or to show a connection between wildlife and humans. However, I am also unable to resist the charms of red squirrels. I had been forced out of photographing another red that was sitting on the ground in front of the hide after only a few shots, due to the number of people taking up the space and the pain I had in my knees from trying to kneel and shoot through the crowd. So, I moved to stand up and found this squirrel on the feeder at the side of the hide where no-one else was standing and got a few shots before I let someone else have a turn.
I’m hoping to try out a new location for red squirrels this weekend. I should have been there a few weekends back but had to abandon my plans due to the gale-force winds. I’m keeping everything crossed that the weather is calmer on Saturday!