High in the tangle of winter branches, this squirrel suddenly appeared, perched quietly above the woodland floor, keeping a careful eye on the world below. The maze of limbs and soft winter light made the perfect natural frame for this fleeting encounter.
The squirrel here is a Eastern Gray Squirrel, a species introduced to Britain in the late 19th century. While they’re now very common across much of the UK and Scotland, their success has come at a cost. The native Red Squirrel has declined significantly, largely because grey squirrels outcompete them for food and habitat and can carry squirrelpox, a disease that reds are particularly vulnerable to.
Despite the controversy, there’s no denying their agility and curiosity — and when you catch one silhouetted high in the trees like this, they still make for a wonderfully characterful woodland subject.
