The National Trust reserve at Freshfield, Formby is one of the best places in Great Britain to see, feed and photograph red squirrels. The Scots and Corsican pine at Formby Point  planted between 1893 and 1921, have provided an important food source for the red squirrel in the area. Essential land management work, including thinning and under planting is undertaken to aid the survival of the squirrel. The Lancashire Wildlife Trust has a full time Conservation Officer specifically  responsible for red squirrel conservation.

Red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) have lived in Britain since the end of the last Ice Age. It is the only squirrel which is native to Britain and is specially protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Red squirrel numbers have declined dramatically in the last 50 years. They are now found mainly in Scotland and the Lake District, with smaller populations in Wales, Norfolk and parts of northern England.  Disease, food shortage or loss of habitat may have contributed to its decline. In many parts of the country they have been replaced by the American grey squirrel, introduced in 1876, the greys have spread into most broadleaved woodlands, parks and gardens.

Restricted mainly to pine woodlands their main food is conifer seeds, but tree seeds such as hazel as well as fungi, berries, tree sap and even bird eggs may also be eaten. Such variety provides a continuity of food sources and abundant autumn food. In the autumn the red squirrel spends a lot of time feeding and stocking up for winter. The squirrels do not hibernate over the winter, and can still be seen searching for food and their buried larder. As any person with squirrels visiting their garden will know they have a habit of burying surplus food -  nuts buried in carefully selected places -everywhere!.

An adult red squirrel is about 22cm long with a tail which is almost the same length. Their weight, dependent on food availability, is often between 200 - 400g.

Squirrels' nests, or dreys, are built in the fork of a tree, close to the tree trunk. A squirrel may use several dreys and share them with other squirrels. 

Breeding usually begins in January and may continue through the summer. The female squirrel will build a large nest for her babies, usually 3 - 8 young in a litter, and will not allow other squirrels near it until they are weaned at around 8 weeks .  

The life expectancy of a squirrel is 4 or 5 years, most deaths in a population being  juveniles under the age of 1 year. Starvation is the main threat, although in woodlands close to urban areas road deaths are frequent.

There are two toads native to the British Isles: the Common Toad (Bufo bufo)  and the Natterjack Toad (Bufo calamita). The Natterjack is easily distinguished from the common toad by the vivid yellow stripe running down its back. During spring and early summer evenings, the croaking of the males rings through the dunes, this nocturnal chorus gives them their local nightingale name. The Natterjack has a distinctive run instead of hopping this has certain feeding advantages as it is much faster than the common toad and able to forage an area more efficiently,  eating any insect, worm, grub that it can find.

Natterjacks are a western European species on the edge of its range in Britain. In Britain they  occur only near sea-level and are restricted to a few specialised habitats with warm, sandy soils where they can burrow easily. Suitable habitats with sandy soils and warm shallow pools for breeding are to be found only on sand dune systems and heathlands.

Burrowing is easier with shorter limbs and the Natterjack has noticeably shorter limbs than the common toad. The Natterjack digs out hibernation burrows in the sandy soils. During hibernation  it  slows its bodily functions to a minimum, absorbing oxygen through its skin and await the spring, secure from frosts and freezing winds. By November all are hibernating. They do not emerge from their burrows until the weather is warm enough in March and April, breeding then occurs. The eggs, known as spawn, are laid in shallow water in a string. The species is adapted to breeding in shallow pools which dry up quickly in hot summers. Thus it can develop through all the stages in 4-8 weeks, compared with 10-12 weeks for common toad and frogs..

The Sand Lizard (Lacerta agilis) is the most beautiful, and also the most endangered, of our three native lizard species, it now only occurs naturally in scattered populations in Dorset, Surrey and on the Sefton Coast. It is stocky, with a deep set head, short legs and measures up to 20-24 cm. Colour is variable, but is usually brown or grey with an intricate pattern of light and dark blotchy markings on the sides and back. Often there are eye like spots along its body. Males have greenish flanks which become more vivid during the breeding season.

The sand lizard lives in burrows dug into the ground, in cracks and crevices or underneath vegetation in mature dry heathlands and coastal sand dunes dominated by dense marram grass. Here the vegetation provides a range of different conditions which allows the sand lizard to regulate its body temperature and to find cover from predators. 

Sand lizards remain in a state of torpor for 6 months in their burrows during winter; before waking from their hibernation in the milder weather between late March and early May. As Britain's only egg laying lizard. It needs areas of open sand for incubating its eggs, which are laid in late spring, in short, carefully chosen burrows dug into the sand where they are warmed by the sun until they hatch in late summer.

Emerging from their burrows, they bask in the warmth of the morning sun and, when warm enough to become fully active, move into the vegetation to hunt. They feed on a variety of spiders and beetles. By late afternoon, the lizards have returned to their burrows where they remain inactive overnight. The lizards are often found in colonies on banks and slopes. They may occupy the same small patch of ground throughout their life. The correct management of these features is particularly important for conserving this species.

It is an offence to disturb them in any way

Kill, harm or injure them

Cause damage to their habitat

  Possess, sell or trade them in any way