Now, it seems, one squirrel has tired of the trees and wants to find out more about what happens inside the reserve’s Wildlife Discovery Centre.
So, imagine the joy for the Centre’s receptionist Caz McMahon, who, after propping open one of the doors, returned to find the squirrel sitting on the bench inside, calmly admiring the view of the lake through the window.
Caz opened the door wider to try and let it out, but, unperturbed by her presence, he continued to enjoy his rest before deciding to take a look further inside by climbing up the corridor’s gabion wall and peering through the glass door of the Lookout Café.
Who knows, he may have been waiting for the Café’s doors to open so he could taste the ‘Scone of the Day’ - a rather tempting onion bhaji and mango chutney variety.
Speaking about the sighting, Caz says: “Hauxley Wildlife Discovery Centre is a great place to work anyway, but I was so delighted to see the squirrel just sitting on the bench. Then, when he climbed along the gabion wall and peered through the door, I just held my breath with excitement. It’s just one of those things you don’t see every day, but here’s hoping he comes in again.”