Why Red Squirrels Are Worth Courting

Scotland is home to the vast majority of Britain's remaining red squirrels, with strongholds across the Highlands, Argyll, Perthshire, Dumfries and Galloway, and pockets of the north-east. If you garden within or close to one of those areas, a woodland garden is not just a pleasant setting — it is genuine habitat, and there is a real chance of reds moving in. They are shy, arboreal and far quieter than grey squirrels, so the first sign is usually a rustle high in the canopy, a scolding chatter, or a russet tail flicking along a branch.

Encouraging them takes three things: the right trees, a reliable supply of natural food, and a feeding area where they feel safe. Get those right and reds become regulars, often arriving at the same times each day.

Build the Habitat Before You Build the Feeder

Red squirrels are creatures of the canopy. They prefer to travel through branches rather than across open ground, so the value of your garden depends as much on structure and corridors as on what you put out to eat. Conifers matter enormously — Scots pine, larch, Norway spruce and similar trees provide the seed crops that reds rely on, while hazel, oak, beech, rowan and alder add variety and autumn mast.

• Keep or plant a conifer belt. Even a short run of pines or larches along a boundary gives cover, nesting sites and a natural food supply.
• Link your garden to the wider landscape. Hedgerows, tree lines and densely planted boundaries let reds move in without crossing exposed ground.
• Leave a scruffy corner. Log piles, brash heaps and standing deadwood are cover, larder and lookout post all in one.
• Resist the urge to tidy everything. A garden that is immaculate to the last leaf is far less attractive than one with a little wildness at the edges.

What to Feed — and What to Avoid

Hazelnuts in the shell are the gold standard: nutritious, familiar and satisfying to gnaw. Pine nuts and whole pine cones are a close second, and both are excellent for tempting reds into view. Sunflower hearts, sweet chestnut, walnut and beech mast all go down well, and a shallow dish of fresh water is genuinely important, especially in dry spells.

• Best choices: hazelnuts in shell, pine nuts, whole pine cones, sunflower hearts, sweet chestnut, walnuts.
• Use with care: peanuts, only if unsalted and never mouldy — spoiled nuts carry aflatoxins that can harm wildlife.
• Avoid entirely: bread, maize, salted or roasted nuts, and greasy fat mixtures that gum up fur and offer little nutrition.

Feed little and often rather than heaping a platform high. Uneaten food goes damp, and damp food grows mould.

Setting Up a Feeder They Will Trust

Red squirrels are cautious, and a feeder that feels exposed will be ignored no matter how good the contents. Mount a lidded feeder or wooden box about two metres up a tree trunk, with the opening facing a clear approach along a branch. A small platform fixed beside it gives them somewhere to sit and shell nuts. Position it so there is an easy escape route upward, and so you can watch from a window without sitting right against the glass.

Rotate the position slightly every few weeks, clean feeders regularly with hot water and a stiff brush, and never leave old shells and debris to accumulate underneath. A tidy feeder means healthier visitors.

Keeping Cats — and Greys — at Bay

Cats are the single biggest reason red squirrels stop visiting a garden. Even a well-fed cat that has never caught anything is enough to make reds abandon a feeding station. Fit bells to collars, keep cats indoors at dawn and dusk when squirrels are most active, and place feeders at least two metres away from fences, sheds and low branches that a cat could use as a launch pad. A baffle or a smooth metal collar around the tree trunk helps a great deal. Never feed on the ground: it invites rats, and it puts squirrels at eye level with predators.

Grey squirrels are a harder problem. Where greys are present, they will dominate feeders and can carry squirrelpox, which is usually fatal to reds. If greys begin visiting, take the feeders down for a fortnight and clean everything thoroughly before putting them back — and consider reporting grey sightings to your local recording scheme so that control work can be targeted.

Nest Boxes and the Seasonal Round

A nest box gives reds a secure drey and encourages them to stay. Aim for roughly 30cm high by 20cm square, with a 6.5cm entrance hole that reds can use but greys struggle with. Mount it three to four metres up, facing away from the prevailing wind, and line it with dry hay or wood wool. Put up two or three per garden, as reds will use more than one.

Late winter and early spring are the lean months, so keep feeders well stocked from January through April. Autumn is the time to gather hazelnuts and cones and to put up boxes. Through summer, when natural food is abundant, you can scale back and let the garden do the work — then enjoy the quiet satisfaction of a red squirrel on your own hazel tree.