Red squirrels can be found in coniferous and broadleaf woodland. In Wales they are mostly restricted to Anglesey in the northwest. In England they can be seen on the Isle of Wight and Brownsea Island, as well as Formby, and in pine forests in Northumberland and the Lake District. They have disappeared from all but a few places in England, Ireland and Wales. Their strongholds are in Scotland, home to an estimated 75% of the remaining red squirrel population, but they once spread across much of the UK. Red squirrel numbers have dramatically declined since the introduction of grey squirrels and are now considered endangered in the UK. The Wildlife Trusts estimate there to be around 140,000 red squirrels and a whopping 2.5 million grey squirrels living in the UK. This inadvertently benefits the next generation of squirrels, as these buried seeds stand a chance of growing into new trees that produce new sources of food. When winter's fresh food shortages arrive, squirrels will locate and use up most of their stored supplies, but they won't find them all again. Deceptive caching may serve as a distraction, preventing carefully foraged food from being stolen immediately by other opportunistic squirrels. It's thought that, while they rely on their noses to find food when they need it, squirrels also use visual cues. When other squirrels are around, they will dig and cover some cache sites without actually burying any food in them. Grey squirrels have been known to use deceptive tactics to protect their supplies.
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