See this? Blurry, fuzzy, gingerish thing in a tree?

That’s a red squirrel, that is. British Wildlife Photographer of the Year, here I come!

Anyway, even though it wasn’t interested in posing nicely for the camera, I’m still beyond pleased that I got to see one. There aren’t too many left in Scotland, outnumbered by the bigger, tougher, imported-from-abroad greys. They die from a virus the greys carry, and they lose out on competition over food. Red squirrels are the rare and adorable creatures of rural forests; grey squirrels are the fluffy-tailed rats rifling through litter bins in city parks. Which isn’t so good for the red squirrel’s population, but does wonders for its public image.