Squirrel-watching wherever you are
A lot of the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels team spend much of their time out and about, and are lucky to regularly see red squirrels while carrying out their work. Our staff are always happy to see our native reds, and they’re very aware that for most people this isn’t an everyday occurrence! When squirrel-spotting is part of your job description, it’s worth remembering that for most people, encountering a red squirrel on a walk, spotting one hopping through the trees, or visiting a feeder box in their garden is a very exciting thing indeed!
Seeing a red squirrel isn’t just a reminder (and a reward!) of the important work we’re doing to protect a native species. They’re also a joy to watch, and the wellbeing benefits brought by squirrel watching are undeniably, if anecdotally, huge. We believe that this benefit shouldn’t just be felt by people who are able to spend time outside in areas where red squirrels are likely to make an appearance, or even just people who live in Scotland. Red squirrels, and all nature, should be accessible to everyone!
This is why we’ve rounded up some fantastic red squirrel webcams across Scotland, so you can keep an eye on the wee characters no matter where you are.
RSPB Scotland Loch Leven nature reserve
RSPB Scotland Loch Leven is home to red squirrels which can often be seen foraging, feeding and scaling trees in the woodland areas of the nature reserve. These charismatic animals frequently visit the specially designed feeder, see if you can catch a glimpse of one of Scotland’s most iconic species. Pine martens and badgers occasionally pass through after dark, and with a bit of luck you might catch a glimpse of these secretive creatures on the camera as well. Other woodland birds regularly seen include blue tits, jays, woodpeckers and pigeons, making it an excellent spot for anyone who enjoys watching Scotland’s birdlife up close.
Live Red Squirrel feeder | RSPB Scotland Loch Leven
RSPB Scotland Loch Garten nature reserve
Coal tits, crested tits, great spotted woodpeckers, siskins and lots more forest birds visit this feeder in the heart of RSPB Scotland’s Abernethy nature reserve, located in the Caledonian pine forest in the Highlands of Scotland. You may get lucky and spot a red squirrel too!
Live bird feeder | RSPB Loch Garten – YouTube
Friends of Blairs Loch is a small charity in Forres, Moray, that has developed an outdoor education and recreation centre at Loch of Blairs. This is a fantastic place to walk and explore, with trails around the woods and the loch, and four hides. The squirrel hide camera looks out over the bustling feeding station and red squirrels often make an appearance, as well as lots of bid species including crested tits.
Friends of Blairs Loch, Squirrel Hide webcam
This website is a treasure-trove of red squirrel factoids and data! The camera is situated near Kingussie, and has been taking photos since 2006. Red squirrels regularly visit the feeder box, and the website has a graph which tracks squirrel activity, showing you when you’re most likely to catch a glimpse of a tufted ear or a bushy tail.
The feeder is connected to a datalogger, which counts the number of times the flap has been lifted (over 2 million times to date!), and produces lots of interesting graphs. It’s worth spending some time exploring the website, as well as checking the recent pictures of squirrel visits!
A note on recording squirrel sightings seen via webcam!
As you know, we ask for people to submit their sightings of red and grey squirrels seen anywhere in Scotland. However, to avoid data replication, please only submit sightings of squirrels you have seen in real life, not on any webcams. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy watching the camera livestreams!