Young country diary: A red squirrel examines a nut, right in front of me | Tom

Every October my family have an annual trip to Brownsea Island. We go in autumn because this is a good time to see the red squirrels. In the other seasons, they are high up, hidden in the trees. We catch the ferry from Poole Harbour, and we know we are close when we can see the castle come into view. When we arrive we’re greeted by nosy chickens and attention-seeking peacocks on the lawns.

We go behind the little church into the woods. It is a different world there. There is a mix of crunchy and soggy brown leaves on the ground and little mushrooms popping up from the earth. Some mushrooms are sprouting from rotting logs.

The red squirrels scurry at high speed. If we are at a distance or very quiet then we get good views of them. We were lucky that they stopped right in front of us on a dead log to examine a nut. A beam of sunlight hit a squirrel giving its body a golden outline. They stay still when they spot us, waiting to see if we are friend or foe. Then they continue their busy work when they realise we are just watching.

Red squirrels enjoy eating seeds from pine cones, nuts, bugs and berries. Although they don’t hibernate, they do slow down in winter and stay in their dreys (homes) to avoid the bad weather and eat all food they stockpiled. I think red squirrels are smart and resilient creatures. I love watching them get their winter food while keeping watch for any predators nearby. This shows how clever they are.
Tom, 10