Just delightful

[TonyF]

Living down here and on the edge of the woods, I get used to seeing things up close like the deer and not so close, the wild boar. And the red squirrels which have a happy and undisturbed habitat around us, totally unbothered by man or grey squirrels.

Just arrived back at the house, swept up the drive, parked the car - headlights on, no shortage of noise - and saw a red squirrel sitting on the log which crosses our pond, no more that 2 metres from the car. I cut the engine and just sat there watching him/her watching me - well the car - and totally unhurried, the little rascal jumped off the log into the pampas grass next to the pond and just went about its business, toally unphased by the car or me.

After a few minutes he/she just wandered off.

Delightful on a grey, wet and overcast day!

[Pumpkin Becki]

How wonderful, I've never seen a red squirrel in real life, Tony. You are a very lucky chap.

[HeyWayne]

I've never seen a red squirrel in the wild. This morning, I'm ever so slightly envious of you Tony.

[Nicos]

Fantastic!!

Are your reds like ours- deep almost chestnut /black red colour??? The reds I've see in the Lake District seem much paler red.

[scarey55]

How lovely Tony. I have only seen red squirrels here and, as Nicos said, they are a deep red, almost black. I have never seen any grey squirrels here so perhaps the competition for food isn't so stiff.

[binley100]

Wonderful. The only place I've seen a red squirrel is in France when we were on hols in Brittany. Actually thats the only place I've seen an Owl in the wild as well.

[Flummery]

Gorgeous. You feel really privileged to see them up close, don't you?

[Dane End Dolly]

i am totally envious, how wonderful

[Mac]

I love red squirrels and we're lucky enough to get them coming into our garden and feeding on our nut feeders. We're on the edge of a mixed woodland so see them quite often in there when we're walking the dogs. Ours are very red - must be the Scottishness in them! (am also a ginger!)

[Two_Sheds]

the only place I've seen an Owl in the wild as well.

oh! me, miss! me miss!

* puts hand up*

I've seen a barn owl, flying alongside my train for a few yards. White & ghostly, beautiful.

Never seen a red squirl though

[Jardiniere]

our ones here are almost black too! Not seen many this winter...

[TonyF]

Just catching up.

They are the very deep russet/black colours, just driven through the village and saw 3 small ones, think because it's warmer they're starting to wake up.

How many owls do you want? Bloody things, hooting all night, keeping me awake - well, not really but they are very vocal including the tawny owls which are around during the day.

Best sight for me here is watching the buzzards - of which we have many - flying between the trees and just banking and drifting, shifting their body weight to avoid the branches or the red kites over the valley with the buzzards looking for the thermal updraughts. Wonderful

[HayleyB]

Heywayne your next Centre Parcs trip go to the Oasis Penrith one (I know it's a trek but it's seriously worth it), it's a red squirrell conservation parc, the rangers cull the greys and there are reds all over the village, it's lovely, although the cycling is as bad as longleat for hills

[Mac]

Here's a little Scottish "red head". too cute!

[sewer rat]

When me and the OH moved from London to Inverness we rented a flat in one of what are known as the 5 great houses of Inverness. It was 5 mins walk from the town (now city) centre and each of the 5 flats had a large garden area. We saw red squirrels every day in the garden, two roe deer frequented it about once a week and 11 months later, on the day we were moving to our current abode, I saw the Pine Marten that I had been told about. Pretty cool all round.
As for Centerparcs Penrith, I can vouch for the fact that it is absolutely heaving with red squirrels