You're not going nuts, it is a white squirrel...

FOR years it has been painted as a brutal war between natives and invaders.

The red squirrel has long been fighting a losing battle against the influx of the more versatile grey squirrel, and is now a rare sight in the Lothians.

But it seems a new element has entered the battle for squirrel supremacy - the albino squirrel.

While not as rare as might be expected, white squirrels are an unusual sight, due to their coat being a rather unsuitable colour for trying to evade eagle-eyed predators.

But what is a drawback in the country may actually be a blessing in the city, with some experts suggesting the white coat provides better camouflage against bright, modern buildings than either of its cousins. And numbers are on the rise, with three separate colonies in the Lothians reported to wildlife experts recently.

Albino squirrels were spotted in Livingston, West Lothian earlier this year and now it has emerged that two other colonies are living in Edinburgh and Haddington, East Lothian.

The albino squirrel is a grey squirrel that has slight mutation. Any increase in numbers is certainly not good news for the struggling native red, whose numbers are dwindling as the greys take more and more territory.

The sightings are intriguing for wildlife experts, as the animal was always considered unlikely to survive long enough to breed because of its colour. In the countryside they rarely survive beyond a few weeks because they are so visible against green and brown backgrounds.

That is certainly not the case in the garden of Helen McCormick, who has been feeding a family of albino squirrels for more than 30 years.

She has seen up to five of them at the same time and says they seem very comfortable in their surroundings, playing in the grounds at Hailes Gardens. Mrs McCormick, 63, said: "I don't really know that much about them but they are beautiful animals.

"I once saw a whole family of them, the parents and three children. I think it is quite rare that they breed, but obviously this was a case where two white squirrels settled down and raised a family.

"They are just like grey squirrels, although I was still surprised that the greys left them alone, as they look so different.

"I leave out food for them and they seem to have no problem surviving."

Mrs McCormick's colony has been breeding for many years, lending further support to the theory that they have adapted to urban life.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Wildlife Trust said: "In terms of population they are not as rare as perhaps people would think, although they are unusual.

"What is more unusual is to have a family of them surviving in one area for such a long time when they are so visible to predators and it is perhaps the case that in a more urban environment they can find more shelter and so can survive longer and even breed.

"But, sadly, while they are undoubtedly beautiful animals, they are grey squirrels and our focus at the moment is on protecting the dwindling numbers of our native squirrel."