October- Autumnal red squirrel, Norway
If truth be told, I'm not a summer type of person. Yes I like the long days and the warmth of a spring sun but by the time August rolls around, I'm yearning for frosts and the stealthy approach of autumn. The last time I photographed red squirrels at this time of year, I was using film (it's actually only a few years but seems like a lifetime).
Now don't get me wrong, I love red squirrels and they are in trouble. Or are they? It depends on your perspective. In the UK, reds really do need our help and they're certainly getting plenty of it. A plethora of 'save our red squirrel' web sites have sprung up in recent years and millions will ultimately be spent on their conservation. But red squirrels - just like barn owls, ospreys and peregrine falcons - are widespread across mainland Europe which might bring into question the merits of ploughing such resources into protecting them here. I can already feel hackles rising and I'm not suggesting for one moment that we abandon the cause but in the longer term, red squirrels - and everything else - are dependent on healthy habitat and lots of it. It's perhaps a shame that conservation organisations have to rely on the charisma of species like red squirrels - and their imminent demise - to cajole the wider public into action. Sadly, a native tree just doesn't cut it.
http://www.swt.org.uk/campaigns/scotlands-red-squirrels/
