11 Jun 25 - A Game Of Chase

I arrived at the DWT Villa with two of the other regular volunteers, Colin and David. We were delayed in entering the Villa by a few minutes, when David spotted a couple of Red Squirrels having a game of chase in the treetops.

Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel: Having won the game of chase, it was time to check out the broken end of this branch

28 May 25 - Showing Off

I wonder how many people would like to be able to hang upside down whilst eating their food, just to be able to show off that they could do it. Well it's something this Red Squirrel by the DWT Brownsea villa can do with ease. There again, it doesn't need to be able to drink whilst eating. It's always a pleasure to see these gorgeous performers.

Red Squirrel showing off

9 Oct 24 - Hiding Nuts

One of the best areas to see Red Squirrels on Brownsea is the bank behind the church. This area is on the National Trust side of the island and it can be seen from the Dorset Wildlife Trust gazebo. It is an area I keep an eye on when I'm on meet and greet duties at the gazebo, to see if there are any Red Squirrels active in the area. If so, I'm often pointing them out to our visitors. Part of the reason why the Red Squirrels are so active in this area, is visiting photographers often put out nuts on fallen trees at the top of the bank to encourage the Red Squirrels to appear for their photos. The DWT team do not approve of this activity, but as the photographers are not on the DWT reserve, then this isn't anything do to ask them to stop.

Red Squirrel: This Red Squirrel had just buried a nut, but was having a look around the neighbouring leaves

Red Squirrel: They are remarkably well camouflaged against the fallen leaves

Red Squirrel

On this occasion, the photographer with the bag of nuts was standing by the main track, so it was possible to wander over to take a few photographs on this tree stump.

Red Squirrel

After three weeks off Brownsea, due to ORCA surveys to Santander and the Scillies, followed by the Pale-legged Warbler twitch, it was good to see the Red Squirrels again.

Red Squirrel: Another nut which will be carried away to be buried

11 Sep 24 - Natural Red Squirrel

Regular readers of this Blog, know I have a big passion for the Brownsea Red Squirrels. I've published a couple of recent Blog Posts of the Red Squirrels on Brownsea, but the Red Squirrels have been around the DWT feeders. So, it was nice to see this young individual running along the main track. When it saw me, it headed up into the nearest tree, before posing for a couple of minutes.

Red Squirrel: This time of year is great on Brownsea as the Red Squirrels are very active and often they can be very confiding

21 Aug 24 - Improving Table Manners

In a Blog Post 'Red Squirrel Behaving Badly' on 17 Jul, I provided evidence that one of the Red Squirrels feeding on the Dorset Wildlife Trust peanut feeder had picked up some poor meal-time manners.

The badly-behaved Red Squirrel (17 Aug 24)

I passed these comments onto Nicki & Jonny, the two resident DWT rangers & maybe they have done some meal-time training with the Red Squirrels, as the three that were on the feeders were well-behaved today.

Red Squirrel showing better feeding etiquette

Red Squirrel: I never get tired of seeing my favourite UK land Mammal

Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel: Head & Shoulders

Red Squirrel: There is room for another peanut

Red Squirrel

20 Jul 24 - Preparing For The Island Games

The Island Games began in 1985 as the Inter-Island Games, involving the islands surrounding the United Kingdom, but also encouraged the countries of Iceland and Malta, the territories of Faroe Islands, Greenland, Saint Helena, the Channel Islands and others to participate in various sports. The Island Games are still going with additional small islands also included. To date, Brownsea Island is not involved, but it looks like this Red Squirrel is practicing to get involved in a future games.

Red Squirrel: I spotted this Red Squirrel at a distance up the main track. I knew they like to use the track as a pathway when quiet, so I moved into the side of the track, got the camera ready & waited

Red Squirrel: Bounding down the track

Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel: Time for a breather. Has it clocked me?

Red Squirrel: It pauses long enough for me to improve the camera settings

Red Squirrel: He is off again

Red Squirrel: Coming to a stop again. Unfortunately, the intervening action shots weren't sharp

Red Squirrel: Checking out an interesting-looking stone which looks like a peanut in its shell

Red Squirrel: After confirmation it was just a stone, it's time to get moving again

Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel: Practicing to get onto the winners podium

There are many reasons why I enjoy volunteering on the DWT Brownsea reserve with the weekly Birding being one of the many reasons. However, it is probably the regular encounters with these endearing Red Squirrels, & not the Birds, that is the main reason.

17 Jul 24 - Red Squirrel Behaving Badly

There appears to be a breakdown in etiquette training at meal times with the Red Squirrels on the DWT Brownsea reserve at the moment. I doing my normal volunteering on Weds and helping one of the wardens Nicki as she went through the Moth trap. Nicki pointed out that there was a Red Squirrel on the peanut feeder & I walked over to take some photos. While the Red Squirrel was very obliging, it was also showing poor manners of sitting on top of its food. Some Red Squirrel etiquette training classes are clearly needed.

Red Squirrel: Enjoying a mid-morning peanut

Red Squirrel: There is no excuse for straddling your food whilst eating

Red Squirrel: It's time the DWT wardens Nicki & Jonny ran an meal time training course for the Red Squirrels

20 Mar 24 - Back On Squirrel Island

It was good to be starting my third season as a volunteer on the DWT Brownsea reserve. As usual, I arrived before the island opened to the public. One of the benefits of the early arrival, is this is a good time to see the island's most popular resident: the Red Squirrels. The first one was running along the boardwalk towards me. This was the opportunity to kneel down & wait for it to get closer.

Red Squirrel: Was it going to share its nut with me?

Finally, the Red Squirrel saw me and stopped to looked at me.

Red Squirrel: I've been clocked

Red Squirrel: It got a bit closer & I hoped it would come past me. However, it decided to head off the boardwalk instead & was clearly not going to give me the nut

6 Sep 23 - Squirrel Nutkin

The Red Squirrels haven't been that showy on the Dorset Wildlife Trust Brownsea reserve in the early part of the Autumn. Perhaps not helped by them getting used to having the reserve to themselves when it was closed due to an Avian Flu outbreak and taking some time to get used to people again. I decided to have a final look at the lagoon and it was quiet on the reserve when I left. There was a Red Squirrel looking for nuts really close to the DWT gazebo, who decided to pose for photos to make up for hiding throughout the time I was manning the gazebo.

Red Squirrel: I can never resist the chance for more Red Squirrel photos

Red Squirrel: That's another Hazel Nut found

Red Squirrel: No time like the present for a Hazel Nut

3 May 23 - An Apple A Day

An old saying I remember from my childhood was "An apple a day, keeps the doctor away". As I arrived on the Dorset Wildlife Trust reserve for my regular Wednesday volunteering, I was pleased to see a Red Squirrel running down the main track towards me. I stopped & I wondered how close it would get before it saw me. The reality is it was running to get to the apple core that a visitor had thoughtlessly thrown away, before I got there. Once it reached the apple core, it grabbed it & then sat in the tree enjoying its trophy.

Red Squirrel: I cannot resist another Red Squirrel photo from Brownsea

7 Sep 22 - That Peanut Butter Wouldn't Melt In My Mouth Look

There are some bird feeders by the Villa, the Dorset Wildlife Trust office, on Brownsea. It is one of the more reliable locations to see Red Squirrels on Brownsea when there aren't too many visitors near the villa. Red Squirrels tend to be more timid than the introduced Grey Squirrels that occur on the mainland.

Red Squirrel: Looking innocent

Red Squirrel: Looking innocent with the added "peanut butter wouldn't melt in my mouth" look

Red Squirrel: Caught in the act

Red Squirrel: Getting rid of the evidence

13 Jul 22 - The Hassles Of Moving Home

Back onto Brownsea for my regular Wednesday volunteering on the DWT Brownsea reserve. This week I was first up on the entrance desk meeting & greeting visitors. After about thirty minutes, two ladies arrived & asked about where to see a Red Squirrel as that was what they really wanted to see. I didn't even have time to start answering when I saw a pale flash in the grass. Over recent weeks, I've picked up Red Squirrels best at a distance by an unexpected pale movement. Asking the ladies to give me a minute, I moved a couple of metres & confirmed I had the pale movement was a Red Squirrel's tail. After pointing out the directions to the two ladies, I moved again to get a clearer view. There was something odd about this Red Squirrel as it had something in its mouth.

Red Squirrel: There was something interesting in the Squirrel's mouth

Red Squirrel: As suspected from my first sighting, the interesting object was a third-sized baby Squirrel & the parent was moving it between dreys

Red Squirrel: Having moved the baby, the Red Squirrel came back & posed for us on the entrance bridge. It's possible to see a nipple in this photo, so it's a female

Red Squirrel: More posing

Red Squirrel: The posing has increased to mimic the DWT sign

Finally, the Red Squirrel crossed the track & lay down on one of the branches on a nearby tree. I had seen a Red Squirrel do this a couple of weeks earlier on the same branch & assume it was the same female. On that occasion, the Red Squirrel was quite happy to pose for about fifteen visitors & allowed prolonged views.

While today's Red Squirrel was posing for the next couple of visitors, I saw a group of twenty-five to thirty small children, teachers & teaching assistants from Talbot School coming along the boardwalk. One of the teachers said they were going to stay on the NT side of the island, but they really wanted to see a Red Squirrel. I couldn't say no to that request, but explained they would need to be quiet. Fortunately, the Red Squirrel went along with this & soon there was a class of happy small and quiet children watching her. It's great to be able to show the next generation something exciting. It was nice how many of the children said "Thank you" on their way off the reserve.

It was great to see the next generation enjoying their first Red Squirrel sighting