The red squirrel is the only squirrel species native to the UK and as we celebrate Red Squirrel Week from September 24-October 2, GABRIELLE ROWLEY looks at just how far these loveable mammals have come in the last few years.

The red squirrel has some very special connections to the Lake District because the little creature was brought to life by one of our best-loved authors, Beatrix Potter.

The first page of Miss Potter's book, The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, opens thus:

"This is a Tale about a tail. A tail that belonged to a little red squirrel, and his name was Nutkin.

He had a brother called Twinkleberry, and a great many cousins: they lived in a wood at the edge of a lake."

People who know and love Beatrix Potter will remember that the wood at the edge of a lake is based on a real island, know as St Herbert's on Derwentwater.

LOVE BEATRIX POTTER? TAKE OUR QUIZ HERE:

Beatrix Potter Quiz
Test how much you know about one of the Lake District's most famous writers and her creations in our quiz. Good luck!
When Beatrix was young she kept several small animals as pets, including mice and a hedgehog. What was the name of her first pet rabbit?
Benjamin
Billy
Bunny
Boris
How many books were published in the Tales series?
21
22
23
24
What was the title of the last Tales book to be published in 1930?
The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse
The Tale of Little Pig Robinson
The Tale of the Flopsy Bunnies
The Tale of Ginger and Pickles
What is Peter Rabbit's favourite food?
Carrots
Cabbages
Radishes
Lettuce
Who played Beatrix Potter in the 2007 film, Miss Potter?
Nicole Kidman
Renee Zellweger
Kate Winslet
Emma Thompson
What type of animal is Miss Moppet?
Cat
Mouse
Squirrel
Rabbit
Who owns the garden which Peter Rabbit visits to eat vegetables?
Mr McGonagall
Mr McGregor
Mr McGee
Mr McGiggle
In The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin, what is the name of the island which the squirrels visit?
Badger Island
Owl Island
Hedgehog Island
Fox Island
What is Peter Rabbit's mother called?
Jacqueline
Jasmine
Jennifer
Josephine
Beatrix Potter died in what year?
1942
1943
1944
1945
You can do much better!
Try harder next time
Good try
Well done!

The island is dubbed Owl Island by Miss Potter, because it is the home of Old Mr Brown, the owl. All the squirrels make a pilgrimage to the island in rafts and then humbly ask Old Mr Brown's permission to dig for nuts. The only exception is Nutkin, who is a very cheeky squirrel and pays for his bad behaviour in the end by losing most of his bushy tail.

READ MORE:

Cameo appearances from Peter Rabbit and friends join lovable new characters in Beatrix Potter tale

However, during recent years, the red squirrel has been threatened by more pressing perils than owls with sharp beaks.

Numbers in the UK have fallen from around 3.5 million, to a current estimated population of around 120,000, of which 75 per cent or more live in Scotland. There are only a handful of refuges left for red squirrels in the rest of the UK and the population in England is thought to be as low as 15,000.

Red squirrels have lost out to their larger, more adaptable cousins the grey squirrel which was introduced from North America. Greys also carry the deadly squirrel pox which has devastated red squirrel populations.

Autumn is the perfect time to see our red squirrels because they are out collecting their nuts. The Lake District is a great place to see them because a study has shown that our Cumbrian squirrels are starting to claw their way back from the brink.

An annual survey run by Red Squirrels Northern England reported that after a bad year in 2015 where grey squirrel numbers increased, this has been reversed in 2016.

Recently red squirrels have been spotted in south Cumbria in the grounds of Holker Hall, and in the village of Levens.

Simon O'Hare of the Red Squirrels Northern England Project said: "I suppose you've got to be tentative about red squirrel conservation news, but it's great news. In particular because we'd had a couple of years before when greys did really well."

Mr O'Hare praised the efforts of people in Cumbria to make sure that threats to red squirrels are kept under control.

He said: "If the situation wasn't being managed, we would definitely be looking at red squirrel extinction. But that is not the case because we have people working to keep reds alive.

"If you were to take that away, then they would probably be doomed."

Fortunately, extinction is not a prospect on the horizon thanks to the thousands of people who help to monitor red squirrels in Cumbria and across the North of England. So grab your binoculars and get some snaps on your iPhone or iPad and share your photos on social media with the hashtag #RedSquirrelWeek.

Your red squirrel factfile

Life span: They can live for up to 5 or 6 years in the wild.

Vital Statistics: head and body length - 18-24cm, tail length - 14-20cm, weight - 250-350g.

Physical description: Red squirrels’ fur can range from a warm reddish-brown in summer, to a deep brown with grey in winter. The colour may be very variable, ranging from almost black to buff, yet their underside is always cream. They have a bushy tail and ear tufts.

Diet: Red squirrels eat spruce and pine seeds, acorns, berries, fungi, bark and sap tissue. In the autumn they store surplus food either just below the ground or in the gaps in tree trunks.

Young: Baby squirrels are called kittens and are born with their eyes closed, without teeth or hair. They are weaned at 10 weeks, when they are ready to leave the drey. Parental care involves only the female.

Habitat: Red squirrels live in both conifer and broad leaved woodland. They can be found at altitudes up to 2000m in the Alps and Pyrenees.

Talents: Red squirrels can swim very well, hence Nutkin and his friends making yearly pilgrimages to Owl Island.

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