Doesn'T take a virus to see red squirrels loosing ground to grey ones. It's old news. The grey ones simply are more aggressive and expand at alarming rates, they are also slightly bigger in size. the problem exists since many years in the better part of Europe. The reds are loosing.
Grey is no colour, so these grey squirrels are improperly dressed and are not regular squirrels and thus are not protected by the Geneva convention. Confess your colour, and death to all grey squirrels! We have our own squirrels, and they are much cuter!
I also have a red squirrel on my balcony, visiting me regularly since over two years. when I sit out there and do not move or only very slowly, it even sits on the table next to me, eventually even on my knee, and accepting nuts from the palm of my hands. Yeah, yeah, I know about the risk ob being bitten and getting infected with some desease, but I know this one since he was - hm, much smaller in size. We trust each otherk, you know.
He has a black dot at the tip of his tail, I can recognize him easily from any other squirrel around. A couple of times he even hopped into my main living room, had a look and checked some things, and then left again.
Charming!