News: First death of red squirrel from squirrelpox virus confirmed north of Scotland’s Central Belt

…further dead red squirrels in and around Dunfermline, these can be posted to us for examination using these detailed guidelines” The first known outbreak of squirrelpox in Scotland occurred in 2007 near Lockerbie and since then the disease has arisen in various red squirrel populations across south Scotland. However, this is the first time that a case has been confirmed… […]

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Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels: the next steps in South Scotland

…in northern England for improved cross-border collaboration going forward. In addition to supporting cross-border red squirrel conservation efforts led by other landscape partners, over the next six months, SSRS staff and partners will be working to develop and trial a “cooperative community funding model” in which estates, landowners, and others can contribute to a common fund dedicated specifically to supporting… […]

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VolunteerFAQs

…support needs to be mainstreamed with reliable long-term funding and integrated with red squirrel conservation efforts in northern England for improved cross-border collaboration going forward. In addition to supporting cross-border red squirrel conservation efforts led by other landscape partners, over the next six months, SSRS staff and partners will be working to develop and trial a “cooperative community funding model” […]

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North East Volunteer Spotlight: Celebrating our volunteer Janice Drew as she moves on to pastures new!

…in the snow revealed roe deer, badgers and pine marten shared my feeder route, with deer often observed. Red squirrels and pine marten were in residence, evidenced by their hair samples on feeder stickies. I even spotted red squirrel occasionally, flitting between trees, chirping in annoyance at my intrusions! Various butterfly species emerged in the undisturbed woodland and hay meadows… […]

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Squirrelpox: Staying ahead of the spread

…in the Central Lowlands can help to detect the early presence of squirrelpox, and how you can be proactive in reducing its impact.   Squirrelpox was first confirmed in Scotland in 2005, having spread from northern England through non-native grey squirrels that are able to carry the virus unaffected. When spread to red squirrels however, the disease is deadly and… […]

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Argaty’s red squirrels are back in full force

…in force on Argaty. Today we run two squirrel photography hides and are in the process of building a third. I seldom go twenty-four hours without seeing a squirrel here and when I do, something feels missing from the day. Last year one particularly brazen animal scaled the side of our house and began building a drey between the downpipe… […]

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An Autumn Overview of Tree ID

…of habitat the squirrel was spotted in. Having a basic knowledge of tree identification comes in helpful here and sharing this allows us to investigate which habitats squirrels appear to be thriving in. Spotting the difference between a coniferous and deciduous tree in autumn is simple. Deciduous trees with broad leaves, change colour and often lose their leaves at this… […]

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News: Over £1M in new funding awarded to aid red squirrel recovery in Scotland

…Wildlife Trust led Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) project to deliver vital conservation work on the ground and develop new and innovative techniques to halt red squirrel declines, reinforce protections for the core red only populations of the Highlands, and progress long-term aims for population expansion in the North East and Central Lowlands of Scotland. SSRS has been working since… […]

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This Year's Sightings