With invasive grey squirrels overpowering the native reds across most of England, Northumberland and County Durham are some of the last places in the country that you can hope to spot these beautiful creatures.
Friday January 21 is 'Red Squirrel Appreciation Day,' established in 2001 by wildlife rehabilitator Christy Hargrove to acknowledge the role that these animals play in nature and the environment.
Invasive grey squirrels are a much more common sight and present across much of the North East but if you know where to look, you can spot their smaller and rarer cousins in our region too.
Here are eight of the best places in the North East to see red squirrels.
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Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre, Druridge Bay
Despite this being a Northumberland Wildlife Trust nature reserve, the best place here to spot red squirrels is right by the car park. There's a feeder which the animals frequent right by it. Low Hauxley is a good spot for wildlife in general - with sightings of around 140 bird species annually, as well as stoats and otters.
Kielder Forest
At least one third of England's remaining red squirrel population is said to live in Kielder Forest. The bushy tailed mammal was even shown jumping in the opening scenes of a programme which explored the secrets of Kielder Forest in November 2021.
Reds can be seen year round, but the best time to catch a glimpse is from March to May and September to December. Ospreys, roe deer, otters and water voles are among several species that can be spotted at Northern Europe's largest man made forest.
Hareshaw Linn, Bellingham
This woodland walk which starts from a car park in Bellingham ends at a waterfall which once upon a time delighted Victorian tourists to Northumberland. Now, it's an SSSI (Site of Special Scientific Interest) and as well as red squirrels, visitors can spot more than 300 types of lichens and mosses.
At the time of writing, visitors to Hareshaw Linn are strongly advised to keep to the path by Northumberland National Park as work is still under way to make paths safe after damage from Storm Arwen. Other parts of Northumberland National Park where you can see red squirrels are Holystone Woods and Simonside Forest.
Howick Hall Gardens and Arboretum
The ancestral seat of the Earls Grey since the 14th century, Howick Hall on the Northumberland coast is a fantastic place to watch red squirrels going about their business. The arboretum is home to around 11,000 trees, so there are plenty of places for the critters to forage for food.
Wallington Hall, Cambo
This National Trust property in the Northumberland countryside near Cambo has a wildlife hide and at the last count, there were around 150 red squirrels at the site. Another endangered species at Wallington is the white-clawed crayfish - a critically endangered freshwater invertebrate that Northumberland Zoo, Northumberland Rivers Trust, the Environment Agency and the National Trust have joined forces to protect.
East Cramlington Nature Reserve, Cramlington
With the help of a local voluntary group, the Cramlington & District Red Squirrel Group, there is a small and healthy population of red squirrels in the area. In September 2021, a wildlife viewing screen was installed in the nature reserve with an artwork including squirrel facts and paintings of other wildlife you might find in the area.
Killhope Lead Mining Museum
The museum, where visitors can experience what life was like for lead mining families in the 19th century, is in Upper Weardale, in the heart of the North Pennines Area of Outstanding Beauty. There are several woodland walks in the surrounding area where red squirrels are present.
Pow Hill Country Park
Another Site of Special Scientific Interest, Pow Hill Country Park consists of a bog, moorland, grassland and coniferous woodland overlooking Derwent Reservoir in County Durham. In addition to squirrels, you can see adders, lizards, slow worms and green hairstreak butterflies there.
What is being done to help red squirrels?
Red Squirrels Northern England's Project Manager, Heinz Traut said: "26% of UK mammals are in decline and because reds are a UK native species, we have to conserve and protect red squirrels."
Grey squirrels, which are an invasive species are thought to still outnumber reds in the North East, of which there are estimated to be around 29,500 in the whole of England. Heinz said: "Since 2015, red squirrel range has remained stable across the North of England and Northumberland has done particularly well in the last couple of years.
"An area that's done particularly well in the last few years is South East Northumberland - mainly because of the tremendous efforts done by local community groups."
According to RSNE, you can also see red squirrels in Cumbria, Merseyside and North Yorkshire.
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