Written by the team behind Puzzlify. Puzzlify is our product, so weigh what follows with that in mind. We've tried to make this useful even if you never use it. We're not affiliated with any red squirrel group, wildlife trust, conservation charity, forestry body, landowner, estate, nature reserve, local council, highways authority, school or community organisation. Nothing here is legal, wildlife law, animal welfare, pest control, forestry, health and safety, ecological survey, employment, safeguarding, copyright or data protection advice; check your own group's guidance on gifts, photos, feeders, cameras, surveys, landowners and members' details.
It's ten past six on a cold morning in late October, and a retired postwoman called Morag is walking up a forestry track with a rucksack, a bag of hazelnuts and a notebook in her coat pocket. The pine wood is still dark under the trees, but the sky above the track is going pale and pink, and the frost is just starting to lift off the bracken. She stops by a wooden feeder box fixed to the trunk of an old Scots pine, lifts the lid, tips out the empty shells, wipes the inside with a cloth, tops it up and lets the lid drop with a soft knock.
Then she steps back fifteen paces, leans against a gatepost and waits.
Morag has been a feeder monitor for the local red squirrel group for eight years, ever since a friend from the village asked whether she'd mind keeping an eye on "just one feeder" near her house. Now she looks after four. Every week, she cleans them, refills them, notes how many nuts have gone, checks for signs of disease and sends a short report to the group's coordinator, a former primary school teacher called Euan, who has kept the sightings spreadsheet since the group began.
At twenty to seven, there's a scrabble of claws on bark. A small russet shape with tufted ears runs head first down the trunk, pauses on the edge of the box with its tail curled over its back, and lifts the lid with its nose. Morag doesn't move. She doesn't need a photo. She writes in the notebook: 06:41, one red, adult, healthy, tufts.
By eight o'clock, the trail camera volunteers will be swapping memory cards on the cameras at the other feeders. In the village, someone on the roads team will be checking that the "Slow down, red squirrels crossing" sign by the bend hasn't been knocked over again. At lunchtime, a volunteer called Fiona will be in a primary school hall with a box of hazelnut shells, a stuffed toy squirrel and thirty children who want to know whether squirrels remember where they hide their nuts. And in the evening, the group's treasurer will be at the kitchen table, working out whether the grant will stretch to six more feeders.
If you've ever seen a red squirrel in a wood, read a sign asking drivers to slow down for them, or bought a raffle ticket at a squirrel group stall at a village show, you've seen the work of a red squirrel group and its volunteers. This guide is about saying thank you to them, in words first and, if it fits, with a small digital jigsaw made from a photo of a feeder box on a pine trunk at dawn, a frosty forestry track, a pile of hazelnut shells on a stump or a hand-painted "slow down" sign.
Who we mean
Red squirrel groups come in many shapes. Some are part of a larger wildlife trust or a national conservation project; some are run by a community group, an estate or a village; and some were started by a few neighbours who noticed the reds disappearing and decided to do something about it. Almost all rely on a small team of volunteers who give their mornings, evenings and weekends, year after year. You'll usually find:
- the feeder monitors, who clean, refill and check the feeders every week, note what's been eaten and watch for signs of disease;
- the trail camera and survey volunteers, who set up cameras, swap memory cards, sort through hours of footage, carry out sightings surveys and record every squirrel, red or grey;
- the volunteers involved in grey squirrel management, where the group does it, working within the law and their partners' guidance;
- the road sign and "slow down" campaigners, who put up warning signs at crossing points, talk to the council about road casualties and remind drivers that reds cross where they always have;
- the talks and schools volunteers, who visit schools, Brownie and Cub groups, village halls and care homes with a slideshow, a box of nut shells and endless patience;
- the coordinator, who keeps the sightings records, answers the emails and the phone, and holds everyone together;
- the treasurer and the funding volunteers, who keep the accounts, write the grant applications, run the raffle and count the coins from the collection tins;
- the events and stall volunteers, who run the stall at the agricultural show, the craft fair and the open day;
- the founders, who called the first meeting in a village hall and refused to let the reds go quietly.
And behind all of them, the partners and families at home who have learned to live with sacks of hazelnuts in the porch, memory cards on the kitchen table and someone who leaves the house before dawn on a Sunday to look at an empty feeder.
The words matter most
Before anything else, it's worth saying: the thank-you a red squirrel volunteer remembers is the one that tells them exactly what they did and why it mattered. "Thanks for all you do for the squirrels" is kind. "Thank you for the talk at our school. My son now asks me to slow down at every bend so he can look for reds, and he's started a nature diary" is the one that gets kept.
If you're not sure what to say, these questions might help:
- What did they do that you saw, or that you only found out about later?
- What did it make possible: the first red seen in your garden for years, a sign that slowed the traffic on a dangerous bend, a child who fell in love with the woods?
- What will you remember about that wood, that feeder or that morning because of them?
A few honest sentences, handwritten or typed, are worth more than any present. Everything else in this guide is optional.
Who might send one
A photo jigsaw is not right for everyone, and it doesn't replace a card, a thank-you in the group's newsletter or a round of applause at the annual meeting. It tends to suit:
- a feeder monitor who has walked the same track every week, in all weathers, for years;
- a trail camera volunteer who has sorted through thousands of clips of pigeons, pheasants and wind-blown branches to find the few seconds that matter;
- a coordinator or a treasurer who has carried the group through a hard year or a lost grant;
- a schools volunteer who has given the same talk two hundred times and still makes it sound new;
- a founder who is stepping back after many years;
- a partner or family member who has lived with the group, and the hazelnuts, in the house for years.
It's less suited to someone who doesn't use screens at all, or who would feel awkward about a gift. In those cases, a card and a warm word at the next work party are perfect.
Gifts, woods and good manners
Red squirrel groups work with a rare and protected animal, on other people's land and in small communities, and that brings a few things to keep in mind:
- Never disturb a drey for a photo or a gift. Red squirrels are protected in many places, and their dreys, the nests of twigs and moss high in the trees, are where they rest and raise their young. Never climb a tree, use a drone, shine a light or linger near a drey, and never put a drey in a puzzle.
- Never feed a squirrel by hand. Wild squirrels should stay wild. Hand-feeding can spread disease, make animals bold around people, dogs and cars, and break the group's feeder hygiene rules. Leave feeding to the feeders and the people who clean them.
- Never reveal feeder or drey locations. The exact places where reds feed and nest are often kept private, to protect the animals from disturbance, theft of feeders and people who would harm them. Keep maps, grid references, signposts, gates, car parks and anything that pinpoints a feeder or a drey out of any photo, note or message.
- Grey squirrel management is a sensitive subject. Some groups take part in grey squirrel control, always within the law, with landowners' permission and following their partners' guidance, and often only with trained or authorised people. Many people feel strongly about it either way. It's not something to photograph, joke about or put in a gift; if you're thanking someone who does it, a simple thank-you for their time and care is enough.
- Trail camera footage is private. Cameras in the woods sometimes catch walkers, dog owners, children, cars and the edges of people's gardens and homes. Footage of people, vehicles and homes stays private, and should never end up in a puzzle or a message.
- Children and young people: groups often work with schools, run nature walks and family events, and have young volunteers. Never photograph children without the right permission, and keep them out of any puzzle.
- Group money, grants and paid rangers: if you're thinking of a thank-you paid for from the group's funds or a grant, check with the committee first, because grants usually have rules about what they can be spent on. Some projects also employ paid rangers or officers. Pay any invoices properly and separately; a thank-you is a gift, never a substitute for wages or an agreed fee.
- Landowners and private land: many feeders are on estates, farms and forestry land by permission. Respect the landowner's privacy, stay on paths and tracks, and never photograph a private house, yard or garden.
- People's details: keep names, phone numbers, addresses, the volunteer rota, the sightings database and the group's email list private.
None of this should stop you saying thank you. It just means keeping it simple and kind, and putting the squirrels and the landowners first.
When to send it
There's no single right moment, but these tend to work well:
- after the autumn survey, when the results come in and everyone finds out how the reds are doing;
- when the first kits of the year are seen on a trail camera, which is often the best news a group gets all year;
- after a hard winter, an outbreak of disease or a lost grant, when the volunteers kept going anyway;
- when a new sign goes up, a new feeder line is finished or a school project ends;
- at an anniversary, such as the tenth or twentieth year of the group;
- when someone joins, retires, steps down or moves away, at whatever time of year that happens.
There's no wrong time to say thank you, but a thank-you that arrives close to the moment it's about tends to land best.
Why a jigsaw can fit
A red squirrel group is a jigsaw already. Every week, the pieces come in: a feeder report from one wood, a few seconds of footage from another, a road casualty from a bend, a sighting from a garden, a donation from a stall. Each piece on its own looks small. Put them together, and the coordinator can see the whole picture: where the reds are holding on, where they're coming back and where they need help.
So a jigsaw is a small, quiet version of the same pleasure. Putting together a photo of a feeder, a pine wood or a track they walk every week, piece by piece, with real tab-and-blank shapes that click into place, gives the person a few calm minutes with a place that matters to them. And because the note appears when the last piece goes in, the thank-you arrives at the end, like the moment a red squirrel finally runs down the trunk after a long, cold wait.
If you're thanking the feeder monitors
The feeder monitors are the backbone of most groups: out every week, in rain, frost and midges, carrying nuts, cloths and disinfectant up tracks most people never walk. A photo of a wooden feeder box on a pine trunk at dawn, with no landmarks and nothing that gives away where it is, makes a lovely puzzle for them. So does a pile of nibbled hazelnut shells on a mossy stump, or a frosty forestry track with the sun coming through the trees. A note that names something specific means a lot: "Thank you for every Monday morning, every clean feeder and every line in that notebook."
If you're thanking the trail camera and survey volunteers
The trail camera and survey volunteers spend long hours in the woods and longer hours at a screen, sorting through clips of pheasants, deer, wind-blown branches and their own hands swapping the memory card, to find the moments that matter. A photo of a camera strapped to a tree, taken from a distance and without any location clues, a stack of labelled memory cards on a desk, or a survey sheet with no names, places or grid references on it, is a cheerful puzzle for them. Never use a still from the footage itself if it shows people, vehicles, homes or a recognisable place. A note that says what their work made possible is even better: "Thank you for the clip of the two kits. We watched it twelve times."
If you're thanking the road sign campaigners and the talks volunteers
The road sign campaigners put up the "slow down" signs, talk to the council, record road casualties and keep asking until something changes. The talks and schools volunteers carry the reds into classrooms, village halls and care homes. A photo of a hand-painted "Red squirrels crossing" sign on a quiet country road, with no house, car or plate in the frame, or a table set up for a talk with a box of nut shells and a toy squirrel, is a warm puzzle for them. A note like "Thank you for the sign on the bend. I slow down every time, and I've seen two reds since" says what their work changed.
If you're thanking the coordinator, the treasurer and the founders
The coordinator answers the emails, keeps the records and keeps everyone going; the treasurer counts every coin and writes every grant report; the founders called the first meeting and kept faith through the years when the numbers went the wrong way. A photo of the group's first feeder, now weathered and grey, a collection tin on a show stall, or the wood where it all started, seen from the road, can mean a great deal to them, with a note that names what they made possible: "There are still reds in this valley because you asked the question nobody else would."
If you live with a red squirrel volunteer
If your partner, parent or friend has filled the porch with sacks of hazelnuts, left the house before dawn every Sunday for years and comes home cold, muddy and happy after seeing one small russet animal for twenty seconds, a puzzle can be a small, private thank-you. A photo of the muddy boots by the back door, the flask and the notebook on the kitchen table, or a single hazelnut shell on the windowsill, with a note that says what you've noticed, can mean a lot. Keep your home, your street and anything that shows where you live out of the frame.
When a long-serving volunteer steps down
When someone who has been at the heart of the group for many years steps back, a bigger puzzle can mark the moment. A 130- or 252-piece puzzle of the pine wood in autumn light, or the whole valley from a hill, shared with the group so everyone can add a line to the card that goes with it, is a warm way to say goodbye.
In memory of a volunteer
Red squirrel groups are small, and the loss of a volunteer is felt deeply. If a feeder monitor, a coordinator or a founder has died and their family would welcome it, a photo of the wood they walked, a feeder they made, or the bench where they used to sit and wait, can become a gentle puzzle for their family. Always ask the family first, and let them decide whether they'd like it. A quiet note is often enough: "There are still reds in the pine wood because of her. Thank you."
For red squirrel groups elsewhere
We've written this mostly with the UK and Ireland in mind, where volunteer red squirrel groups work in places such as Scotland, northern England, Wales, the islands and parts of Ireland. But the same care for the red squirrel exists elsewhere: in northern Italy, where projects have worked to protect reds from the spread of the introduced grey; and in other parts of Europe and beyond, where people monitor and protect their own native squirrels, each with their own traditions and rules.
Laws on protected species, feeding, cameras, land access, wildlife management and people's details differ from place to place, so check your own group's guidance.
Photo ideas and consent
The best photos for a red squirrel thank-you are often the quiet ones, with no people in them at all, and nothing that shows exactly where they were taken. Some ideas:
- a wooden feeder box on a pine trunk at dawn, with no landmarks in the frame;
- a pile of nibbled hazelnut shells on a mossy stump;
- a frosty forestry track with the sun coming through the trees;
- a hand-painted "slow down, red squirrels" sign on a quiet road;
- a red squirrel you photographed yourself from a respectful distance, without bait, lights or disturbance;
- the pine wood in autumn light, seen from a public path.
Things never to photograph or keep out of the frame:
- dreys, and anything that shows where a drey is;
- the exact location of any feeder, including signposts, gates, car parks, grid references and distinctive landmarks;
- squirrels being handled, fed by hand or treated, or any sick or injured animal;
- anything to do with grey squirrel control;
- trail camera footage or stills that show people, children, dogs with their owners, vehicles or homes;
- faces, unless the person has agreed;
- children and young people, at talks, walks and events, even from behind;
- landowners' houses, yards and gardens, and anything that shows where someone lives;
- number plates on the road or in the car park;
- the sightings map, the volunteer rota, survey sheets with names or places, the group's email list and any noticeboard or message group with names and phone numbers;
- anything that might upset someone, such as a photo of a volunteer who has since died, unless their family has agreed.
If the photo has people in it, ask them first. A photo with no people and no places at all, just the feeder, the shells, the track or the trees, is often the easiest and best choice.
Getting the JPG right
Puzzlify works from a JPG. Most phone photos are already JPGs, or can be saved as one. A few practical tips:
- dawn light in a pine wood is soft and warm, but dim, so hold the phone steady against a tree or a gatepost;
- tap on the feeder or the shells to set the exposure, so a bright sky between the trees doesn't turn everything dark;
- don't use the flash in the woods, both because it flattens the picture and because it can startle wildlife;
- bark, moss, pine needles, bracken, frost and russet fur make wonderful puzzles, because every piece has a little texture;
- large areas of plain sky or dark shadow are tricky, so crop them or pick fewer pieces;
- landscape images usually make the most comfortable puzzles on a phone turned sideways;
- if your phone saves photos in another format, such as HEIC, change the camera setting to "most compatible" or export a copy as JPG;
- remove location data from the photo before you upload it, which matters especially for squirrel photos, because it could reveal exactly where a feeder or a drey is. On most phones, you can switch it off in the share options or the camera settings.
Privacy, an optional PIN, and saying it's from you
The puzzle is private: it's shared as a link, not posted on a public board. You can add an optional PIN so that only someone who knows it can open the puzzle, which is useful if you're sending it to the group's email list. Even so, treat the photo as if it might be forwarded, and keep feeders, dreys, homes and anyone's details out of it. Puzzlify doesn't use your photos to train AI.
Red squirrel groups and their volunteers get plenty of unexpected messages, from sighting reports to the occasional scam, and many are rightly wary of unexpected links. Say who it's from and what it is in the message itself: "This is a little jigsaw of the feeder in the pine wood, with a note at the end. It's from me, and it's safe to open." If you're sending it to someone who doesn't use email much, print the link as a QR code inside a card.
How many pieces?
| Pieces | Feels like | Typical time |
|---|---|---|
| 24 | a single feeder box on a trunk | a few minutes |
| 48 | a pile of hazelnut shells on a stump | around 5–10 minutes |
| 80 | a frosty track through the pines | around 10–20 minutes |
| 130 | the pine wood in autumn light | around 20–40 minutes |
| 252 | the whole valley from a hill | an hour or more |
If you're not sure, 48 or 80 pieces suits most people on a phone. Dark shadow and plain sky get tricky at high piece counts, so start lower if the image has large areas of one colour.
The leaderboard: only for a group
If you're sending one puzzle to the whole group, the optional leaderboard lets everyone see who finished first. Some groups enjoy the rivalry, a little like the friendly competition over who saw the first kit of the year; others would rather solve it quietly. For a puzzle sent to one person, or after a bereavement, leave it off.
A few note ideas
- "To Morag: eight years, four feeders, and every Monday without fail. Thank you."
- "To the camera team: thank you for every memory card and every clip of a pheasant you sat through to find the kits."
- "To Euan: thank you for the spreadsheet, the phone calls and for never giving up on the valley."
- "To Fiona: thank you for the talk. Our class still says 'tufts!' every time we see a picture of a squirrel."
- "To my husband: thank you for the hazelnuts in the porch, the early Sundays and for showing me how to wait quietly."
(Change the names, and keep anything personal, any address and any feeder or drey location out of a puzzle that may be shared.)
How to make one (about a minute of setup)
Upload the photo, pick a piece count, write your note and preview it. When you're happy, publish the link and send it by email or message, print the link or a QR code inside a card, or ask the coordinator to pass it on. Start at Puzzlify's photo puzzle maker.
Honest pricing and notes
Making and previewing a puzzle is free in your browser. You only pay when you publish the link to send it: one credit is EUR 3.99, three credits are EUR 8.99, and Plus is EUR 14.99 a year for ten credits, which can make sense if you want to thank the feeder monitors, the camera team and the coordinator separately. The person you send it to doesn't need an account or an app; they just open the link in a browser.
This is a digital jigsaw you play on a screen. It isn't a cardboard puzzle in the post, a printed product or a public puzzle board, and it isn't connected to any red squirrel group, trust, charity, estate, council or school. It's also not puzzlify.io (a chess site), Puzzlit, Puzzly or Puzzify, which are different things.
Ideas that are not a puzzle
Honestly, some of the best thank-yous for red squirrel group volunteers cost nothing at all:
- a handwritten card, handed over at the next work party or the annual meeting;
- sending in your own sightings, red or grey, through the group's proper channel, so the records get a little more complete;
- slowing down on the roads where the signs are, and telling others why;
- going to a talk, a walk or the stall at the show, and bringing a friend;
- offering your skills: building feeders, sorting footage, helping with the website or the accounts, or taking one job off someone's list;
- a tin of good biscuits for the next feeder-building session, which never fails.
If a photo puzzle feels right as well, choose a feeder box on a pine trunk at dawn, a pile of nut shells on a stump, a frosty track or a "slow down" sign, keep dreys, feeder locations, homes, children, faces, plates and anyone's details out of the frame, pick a piece count that suits them, and write the note in your own words. You can make a free preview here and decide later whether to send it.
Whatever you send, the most important part is the sentence that sounds like you, written to the person who walked the track before dawn with a bag of hazelnuts, cleaned the feeder and waited quietly by the gatepost, sat through hours of footage to find a few seconds of kits, put up the sign on the bend, gave the talk to thirty children, kept the spreadsheet and counted the coins, so that next autumn, when the frost lifts off the bracken, there will still be a small russet shape running head first down the old Scots pine.
Written by the small team behind Puzzlify (info@puzzlify.app). Not legal, wildlife law, animal welfare, pest control, forestry, health and safety, ecological survey, employment, safeguarding, copyright or data protection advice. Check your own group's guidance on gifts, photos, feeders, cameras, surveys, landowners and members' details.