Departing Squirrel.

Our joy and excitement at seeing a Squirrel back in the garden after an absence of a few weeks.  Closer views showed that it is suffering from Squirrel pox.  We reported this to the ranger and the reply was slightly more heartening than expected.

I expected total loss of our local Reds and a few years wait for them to return if at all.  However the ranger has said that over the years there has been the odd case in our locality without wiping out the entire population.

We have been told to remove the feeder and disinfect it and wait at least a month before trying again.   On the positive side no other cases have been reported locally, so we will just have to follow instructions, cross our fingers and hope.