SQUIRREL KITTENS APPEAR

Thrilled to see a family of red squirrels on the cedar tree in our Firs Chase garden late morning on Wednesday 3rd. Four squirrels were seen at the same time, the mother at one of the feeders while three youngsters were scrambling around the upper limbs in the tree. Two of the youngsters had black ear tufts, such as this individual pictured.

Another of the youngsters was sniffing around the trunk and found the antler horn that other red squirrels have been gnawing for the last couple of years.

The red squirrel mother seen at the feeder was the first female seen in the garden for at least nine months. The teats were visible with the help of a pair of binoculars.

After about ten minutes at the feeder, the female climbed up onto a power cable and scrambled along for 30m, high above the road and then climbed down to a neighbours garden.

The red squirrel had to turn around on the cable when it briefly had second thoughts while vehicles passed underneath. Meanwhile the youngsters were left to fend for themselves on the big tree before heading back across the road from whence they came.