There are red squirrels in the pinewoods behind my house, and in the forest adjacent to the fishery. In both they are at low density as both are woods of mainly immature Scots Pines. These produce insufficient density of cones to support a large population.

Red squirrels do best where pinewoods also have an element of deciduous trees, especially beech and oak trees. Unfortunately that is also the preferred habitat of the alien grey squirrel, which both competes for food, and carries a pox to which they are immune, but fatal to reds.

In this area there is a trap and control programme to eliminate the grey squirrel from prime red territories. Curiously, a main predator of both squirrels, the pine martin, has spread from the west coast to the east coast at an astounding rate, and believed to be without human intervention. I saw my first one locally about 5 years ago, and there have been many sightings by the public since, even I am told, in Aberdeen city.