News and Blogs

  Clearing the Loch Lomond islands    This year we’ve been working with our partners at the Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park Authority to remove invasive grey squirrels from some of the islands in the loch.  We recently spoke to Scottish Wildlife Trust on their podcast ‘Words of the Wild’ all about this unique piece of work, and why we’re so excited about. Listen to the episode here (episode three), and keep reading for a behind the scenes look at how we work along the bonnie, bonnie banks.    Background – how did grey squirrels get to the islands?  Did you know that squirrels can swim? Although it’s not one of their regular hobbies, both red and grey squirrels can swim over short distances. We suspect this is how grey squirrels first arrived on the islands in Loch Lomond, which would have naturally been populated by red squirrels. The earliest record we can find of grey squirrels on these islands dates back to 1992 on Inchcruin. It’s hard to estimate how long these populations have been there, but we are hoping that DNA comparison with surrounding grey squirrel populations can help us understand their movements.  As we’ve seen from studies, once grey squirrels arrive in an area they can completely outcompete and replace reds within 20 years. Sadly, this was the case when we started work with the National Park Authority, and there was no sign of any red squirrels le ...

      Trees for Life is an award-winning environmental charity standing at the forefront of rewilding in the Scottish Highlands. Focusing on Scotland’s spectacular Caledonian forest, they are working on a grand scale to bring more life back to our landscapes. Their work focuses on restoring habitats and expanding native woodlands, returning missing animals, and connecting people with nature.   The red squirrel is known as ‘feòrag ruadh’ in Gaelic, and is also informally referred to as the ‘feòrag Ghàidhealach’ or the ‘Gaelic squirrel.’ The Caledonian forest is the UK stronghold for our native and much-loved red squirrel, which is missing from most of southern Britain. Habitat loss has been one of the main drivers of the decline, along with the introduction of the non-native grey squirrel and the squirrel pox disease they carry. As a forest-dwelling species, expanding existing forest fragments and creating new woodlands is essential for red squirrel conservation. Red squirrels are able to live in both coniferous and deciduous (broadleaved) woodlands due to their wide-ranging diet. Their ideal habitat has a variety of different tree species so that there are other food sources available if one species has a poor seed year.   Tree seeds such as acorns, hazelnuts and Scots pine cones make up a large part of their diet - a squirrel can eat the seeds from as many as 20,000 cones in a year! Reds also make full use ...

  Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels want to know about red and grey squirrel sightings across the country during Red Squirrel Awareness Week Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) is calling on the public to get outside, explore nature, and submit their squirrel sightings for this year’s nationwide Great Scottish Squirrel Survey, between 6 – 12 October. This is the biggest squirrel survey in Scotland, and provides incredibly useful information to SSRS partners and stakeholders. This year the survey is sponsored by Trees for Life. Red squirrels are one of Scotland’s most loved animals, and our only native squirrel species. Once widespread throughout the country, in recent decades red squirrel populations have declined due to their replacement by introduced, non-native grey squirrels which outcompete them for food and habitat, and spread the deadly squirrelpox virus. SSRS is a partnership project led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, working with local communities, landowners, partner organisations and volunteers to protect red squirrels in key priority areas where they are most under threat from greys. Molly Martin, SSRS Communications and Engagement Officer, Scottish Wildlife Trust, said: “Squirrel sightings from the public are a vital tool for our project all year round. Your reports help us track the presence of red and grey squirrels across the country. Our teams on the ground are working to protect native red squirrels in areas where they are ...

  As we approach The Great Scottish Squirrel Survey 2025, we’re sharing our top tips for how to spot red squirrels.   Find the right location The first step is to make sure you’re in squirrel-friendly habitat. Red squirrels can live in coniferous or broadleaf woodland, and they like areas with a mixture of trees too. So areas of dense pine, hazel, oak or beech trees are a good place to start. Check out the map on our red squirrels information page for some key red squirrel sighting locations across Scotland. Mixed woodland by Katie Berry. However, red squirrels aren’t particularly fussy and can be found in gardens and urban parks with sufficient tree cover, particularly in the Highlands and the North East, so keep an eye out for city squirrels too! Squirrels don’t hibernate and are active all year round, but dry, calm autumn early mornings or later afternoons are some of the best to go out squirrel spotting, as this is when they’re most active gathering food for over winter. Their coats are also at their most vibrant at this time of year, and their ear tufts are prominent. Look for clues Next you should look for clues that squirrels have been in the area. They tend to stay up in the trees, but do bounce around on the forest floor looking for (and sometimes eating) food. Check the ground for chewed up cones, or teeth marks in mushrooms! In snowy weather you can also look for paw prints. Chewed cones by Gwen Maggs. If you are l ...

    Picture this: you’re in Scotland, you’re out for a walk, you spot a squirrel and report it to our sightings page (thank you!). But now what happens? Today we’re going behind the scenes of what happens to all the squirrel sightings you record.   Raymond Leinster It only takes a few seconds to record a squirrel sighting on our website. We ask for a few details; what species was the squirrel, was it alive or dead, what location did you see it and what the habitat around you was. There’s also space to add more details if you have them, or tell us anything else about your sighting. Sometimes it can be hard to tell a red from a grey, so check out our handy guide here. Then, each report is checked by one of our expert team of verifiers. These are staff and volunteers based across Scotland, each covering different areas which they know well. Our verifies look at the report, checking: Location – is this a feasible location for a squirrel to have been spotted (e.g. we have had reports with the grid reference in the middle of the North Sea!) Fact check – has the right species been selected (e.g. has it been ticked as a grey squirrel, but described as a red squirrel later on). Or is habitat is listed as woodland but the location on the map is showing as an urban garden? Feasibility – how certain are we that the report is correct. If a red squirrel is reported in the middle of Glasgow, we’ll want to follow up asking for m ...