In article , Anne Jackson
writes

They are certainly not hibernating here - not too far from you in
Twickenham.

...and the Perth grey squirrels are pretty active,too!

Our resident family of grey squirrels always remain active through
winter. They feed from bird feeders which are positioned safely from
our two cats. We like to watch their antics as they leap through our
trees, ignoring the envious gaze of the cats.

Maybe red squirrels would be more 'natural', but the local population of
those lovely creatures gave way to the ravages of intensive farming long
ago. We are just grateful that greys are able to be their replacements.
--
Alan & Joan Gould - North Lincs.