Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2014/January 2015 | Page 65

COUNTRY LIFE

Spot the difference
red squirrel/grey squirrel
The Isle of Wight is ‘grey free’ and we want it to
remain that way. The greys are appealing in their own
way but unfortunately they carry a horrific disease,
called squirrel pox virus, which they don’t contract,
but the reds do and die horribly as a result.
Wight squirrel project is eager to hear of any possible
sightings of grey squirrels. There are contingency
plans for dealing with any greys found on the Island.
However, there is a problem with identification as red
squirrels can have grey coats - tricky!
Here are a few ways to ‘spot the difference’. Firstly,
size matters! An adult grey is nearly twice the size
of an adult red and an altogether chunkier animal. A
young grey squirrel could be the size of an adult red
of course. In the winter, reds have the iconic long ear
tufts, greys never have long ear tufts. Reds lose their
ear tufts in the summer.
Looking at the tail is also a good way to identify
between species. A grey squirrel’s tail has three
colours in it. The bulk of the tail is a reddish brown
with a band of black around it and then a halo of
white. A red squirrel’s tail – even those with a grey
coat – does not have this distinctive banding. If you
think you have seen a grey squirrel on the Isle of
Wight, please ring Helen on 01983 611003. Usually a
chat and few questions can determine if the animal is a
grey squirrel – or hopefully not.

A cou ntry ma n's dia ry
I

t’s that time of year when I get excited about
the months ahead. The last three or four winter
seasons have been a little slow to get going,
especially on the planting front. I guess with the
uncertain economy, people have tended to se P