'A wonderful moment' - Rare albino grey squirrel spotted in woodland near Boston (PICTURES AND VIDEO)

The remarkable rodent was spotted by Gary Doughty, 40, of Boston.

Gary, a carpenter by trade, was out in the woods through his interest in fungi. An amateur mycologist, he belongs to the British Mycological Society and has active roles in The Lincolnshire Naturalists Union and the Lincs Fungus Group.

“I was collecting fungi samples on a recent woodland walk, when I happened to see a flash of white through the vegetation,” he said. “The flash of white then appeared to climb up a tree about 12 feet away from where I was stood.

“Not knowing what it was I had seen, I pulled out my phone camera. At the same time, this little guy appears from behind the tree and appears to be as interested in me as I am of him. In one of the videos you can see and hear him telling me off, probably for stealing his mushrooms!”

Gary shared photographs from his encounter on the Lincolnshire photographers Facebook group, where it received more than 2,000 likes.

He has kept the location of the sighting secret to protect the animal from human interference.

All told, Gary said he probably spent about half-an-hour with the squirrel.

“He even came down again and began to forage on the ground, before going back up another tree for another photo-shoot,” he said, adding: “Thanks to the little guy for the opportunity – it was a wonderful moment.”

Rachel Shaw, from the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, said albino squirrels are ‘quite a rare sight’ in the UK, thouogh they have been spotted in Lincolnshire before.

She said: “There are several conditions that affect the colouration of the fur of mammals and feathers of birds. The most frequently seem is leucism. This is partial loss of pigmentation in an animal resulting in white, pale, or patchy coloration. It is often mistaken for albinism, but the eyes are not affected.

“True albinism is the complete lack of colour pigments. As well as white fur or feathers, albino animals and have pink eyes and nose (due to the blood vessels showing through the thin skin and clear lens of the eyes). The conspicuous white appearance makes albino animals more vulnerable to predation.”