With the colder weather covering much of Scotland these last couple of weeks, the crisp air, the flurries of snow, and the loss of the autumnal-coloured leaves lets us know that winter is well on its way! And for our red squirrels, somewhat surprisingly, winter isn’t a season to completely rest. Find out more in the last of our 2024 seasonal red squirrel blogs:
Preparing for Winter
As per our previous blog on red squirrel behaviours in autumn, red squirrels have spent much of the last few months foraging and caching mushrooms, acorns and seeds – creating a stockpile of food to see them through the colder months ahead. Without this key preparation months in advance, squirrels could succumb to the effects of exposure and starvation.
Red squirrels will still sometimes be out foraging around the forest floor in winter, retrieving their precious stores and caching whatever foods they can find – so do still keep an eye out!
A Cosy Drey Hideaway
Red squirrels don’t hibernate, but do retreat to their cosy dreys more frequently in the colder weather. These are built high up in the tree canopy and made of twigs, moss, lichen and fur. Their intricate creation means they are incredibly well insulated, allowing red squirrels to rest, and be warm and protected from the freezing temperatures.
If you are struggling to spot a red squirrel throughout winter, chances are they are comfy and cosy in their dreys, keeping warm and just sleeping a little more than during the rest of the year – something we humans sometimes like to do too!
Cosy Coat
As mentioned in our autumn blog, red squirrels often shed their lighter summer coats and grow thicker and denser fur to help keep them warm during the winter. As a result they can look a fair bit different to their summer selves, with coats often a silver, dare we say grey, colour in winter.
This often leads to false alarm reports of grey squirrels – if you’re unsure check for a white ‘halo’ of fur around the edge of the tail. If it’s there it’s a grey and if not, it’s a red!
Red vs. Grey
Scotland’s red squirrels face an ongoing struggle against the invasive non native grey squirrel, which is much better adapted to winter conditions. Greys have a larger body mass, providing them with greater fat reserves and insulating properties.
Where both red and grey squirrels can be found together, grey squirrels will also sometimes raid the food stored away by the red squirrels, depleting their stores, and making it more difficult to survive through the winter months.
Mating Chases
Believe it or not the red squirrel breeding season is just around the corner! First mating may take place from mid to late December, so look out for frantic high-speed chases in the canopy – this might well be a female in the lead with a male in hot pursuit!
Gestation for red squirrels is 5-6 weeks, after which litters of around 3-4 blind and hairless kits are born. Kits stay in their dreys throughout the winter months being cared for by their mother. Emergence into the new world does not take place until around April time and the (slightly) warmer months of spring – a smart move we think!
Spotting Red Squirrels in Winter
With trees bare of leaves, winter can still be a really good time to spot red squirrels. Choose a dry day (if you can!), try going out and dawn or dusk when they are most active, and look for scampering along tree branches, leaping between tree trunks, or digging through the undergrowth for their hidden stores.
And don’t forget the beautiful tufted ears, which will grow longer and fluffier in winter, giving red squirrels an extra dash of seasonal charm!
Remember, you can share your sightings (of red squirrels or grey squirrels) with us all year round at:
scottishsquirrels.org.uk/squirrel-sightings/
Rebecca Bradley (SSRS Office & Comms Volunteer)
Katie Berry (SSRS Communications & Engagement Officer)