Wildlife at Dale Head Hall

Dale Head Hall is situated within an area designated as a red squirrel reserve. They are protected and their habitat is carefully managed and preserved.

Red squirrels have been found in England since the end of the last Ice Age and are part of our native fauna. The non-native grey squirrel was introduced to England in the late 1870s from America and is the primary cause of decline of the red squirrel. It does so by out-competing red squirrels for food in deciduous and mixed woodlands and transmitting a virus, the squirrel poxvirus, that is lethal to red squirrels.

If you are walking in woods in around Dale Head Hall and Cumbria keep your eyes peeled for both red and grey squirrels. It is quite easy to tell them apart - but don't rely on the coat colour. The reds are considerably smaller and often have long tufts to their ears. Greys always have small, rounded ears and have white hairs along the edge of the tail, giving the tail a halo.