IF you take a walk in any wood, park or other area with trees there is one wild mammal you are more or less certain to encounter.

Despite living a totally wild life, this animal is a frequent visitor to our gardens and can even become so accustomed to people, particularly where they live in parks, that they will quite fearlessly take food from your hand.

Yet of all the wild mammals that live in our country I have found few that provoke such a mixed response among people.

I am, of course, talking about the grey squirrel. Originally, this squirrel was only found in North America among the mixed deciduous forests. It was then imported into this country around the beginning of the 20th century where it probably appeared in zoos and private animal collections.

At this time, Britain had its own widespread squirrel population, the red squirrel, which is much more at home in the dense pine forests of northern Europe and Russia than the managed temperate woodlands of Britain.

During the first few decades of the 20th century, the red squirrel population began to fall, which coincided with the release of the grey squirrels into the wild.

The grey squirrel is a much more opportunistic animal than the red and therefore, began to fill the gaps in habitat left by the red.

Soon they began to replace the red squirrel all round the country and these days the British red squirrel is a rarity.

I have only ever seen one in the wild and this was when I was on holiday in Jersey.

It is unclear whether the grey squirrel had any hand in the demise of the red squirrel, but it certainly has been proportioned with a good deal of the blame.

Another stain on the grey squirrel's character sheet is that it damages trees, particularly conifers.

This has led to a constant battle being waged between the squirrel and foresters.

On a walk through the wood at Hurcott you are sure to see squirrels and you will also see young trees with their bark stripped away. Fortunately the majority seem to be young sycamore trees which, if left unchecked, would proliferate and pose a threat to the ecology of this reserve.

On the plus side for the squirrels is their boldness around human habitation and their playful nature, which has endeared them to the hearts of many.

For some people living in more urban areas, the only real exposure to wildlife they may have is watching a squirrel in their park or garden.

These good-natured animals can help trigger an interest in the natural world, hopefully leading many of these people into finding out more about wildlife and conservation in general and exploring the wonderful wider countryside.