Good news and bad news

First the good news.  These photos were taken yesterday in Gosforth Park Nature Reserve, less than a mile from here as the crow flies.  This is first time red squirrels have been seen in the reserve for several years and it is more than two years since I saw one in my garden.

Then the bad news.  Twenty seconds after my first glimpse of a red squirrel and 20 yards away I saw an American grey and over the next few hundred yards in the same patch of woodland I saw several greys.  They took over in these woods and ousted the reds more than 10 years ago.

In recent years there have been concerted efforts to control the greys in and around Newcastle with limited success. Red squirrels are absent from most of England and we are on the front line of the battle between reds and greys. Generally the two species don't coexist for long but if greys can be controlled or removed the red squirrels can get re-established.  There continue to be sporadic reports of sightings of reds in and around the city so we are encouraged to keep up the efforts to support them.