Red Squirrels

We are very proud to have reintroduced Red Squirrels to Rowling End. Up until the 1970s red squirrels were regularly seen here but sightings had got rarer since then.

Working with the local Keswick Red Squirrel conservation group we now have red squirrels feeding on a daily basis at the squirrel feeder located just outside the kitchen window. Whilst staying at Rowling End we ask you to support our work by regularly filling the feeders with the special nut and seed mix provided in the boot room.

A key part of re-establishing red squirrels at Rowling End has been making sure the grey squirrels do not move back in and take over. Greys out-compete red squirrels for food and transmit a virus, the squirrel poxvirus, which is lethal to red squirrels. If you do see a grey squirrel please can you let Joanne know so she can contact the local group who will come and remove the grey.

Red squirrels are the native British squirrel whereas the non-native grey squirrel was introduced to England in the late 1870s from America and is the primary cause of decline of the red squirrel. It is quite easy to tell them apart – but don’t rely on the coat colour. The reds are considerably smaller and often have long tufts to their ears. Greys always have small, rounded ears and have white hairs along the edge of the tail, giving the tail a halo.

‘A wide variety of native birds also feed outside the kitchen window’.