We received this, by email, from Simon Handley:
Dear FOSCP,
My good lady is convinced that she saw a red squirrel in the park the other day. I saw it too (a fleeting glimpse) and at first I thought it was a chipmunk (??!!) and then thought it seemed a lot redder than grey. Is this possible? It was along the path along the stream between Lambrok Meadow and the large pond. Be grateful for your thoughts.
Kind regards
Simon & Sarah Handley
The official reply is that in southern England red squirrels are confined to the Isle of Wight and Brownsea Island, where there are no greys. Our Countryside Officer, Ali Rasey, said: Unless it was a captive escapee, it wasn’t a red squirrel. However I have seen gingery/brown looking grey squirrels recently . .
Unofficially we are always open to opinions, ideas and discussion. Please leave us a comment below:
Photographs
Red Squirrel: Birdphotos.com, Wikimedia Commons
Grey Squirrel: Peter Trimming, Flickr
Southwick Country Park Nature Reserve 
I think by now this year’s baby grey squirrels are out and about. They will still be quite small and chipmunky and their tails won’t have thickened up yet. Maybe one with a lot of red in its coat?
Did it have tufty ears?
Could have been a stoat! 🤔
There are stoats in the park; the right colour but the wrong shape.