News and Blogs

  As the weeks continue, Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels have received more sightings of sick red squirrels spreading further inland in Dumfries and Galloway.   A red squirrel has been reported by a member of the public as far as Gatehouse showing classic symptoms of the squirrelpox virus, suggesting that the disease has spread north west of the original outbreak between Palnackie and Carsethorn back in May. Squirrelpox is a fatal disease which red squirrels have no immunity against. The symptoms are very distinctive, with lesions and sores forming around the squirrel’s face preventing them from being able to eat and drink as well as limiting their mobility. Although squirrelpox is commonly spread by grey squirrels that carry the disease unaffected, it is believed that this particular outbreak has taken hold within Dumfries and Galloway’s red squirrel population and continues to spread between reds.   A sick red squirrel spotted west of Gatehouse by Robert Lloyd   What can be done to help?  Wildlife feeders typically encourage squirrels, both red and grey, to come into close contact with each other. In a recent video that was sent to the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project, a sick red can be seen rubbing its face on a feeder; scientists suspect squirrelpox can be spread via saliva, which is why feeders pose a particular risk.  During this time, locals within these areas are urged ...

  Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels has received a red squirrel sighting near Duthie Park, one of the closest sightings to Aberdeen city centre in the project’s ten-year history.   The red squirrel was spotted in a garden north of Duthie Park, near the river Dee, an area that has only known grey squirrels for several decades. Grey squirrels were first introduced to Aberdeen in the 1970s, rapidly spreading throughout the city and into surrounding Aberdeenshire. Through competition for food and living space they caused the region’s native red squirrel populations to decline rapidly, completely replacing them across the city. Years of grey squirrel control work carried out by Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels has already removed grey squirrels from much of Aberdeenshire. Red squirrels have begun to recolonise many areas, including the outskirts of Aberdeen. The red squirrel was spotted by Gina Ganzenmueller   Dr Gwen Maggs, Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels Conservation Officer for North East Scotland said: “The project has been working along the River Dee for ten years, with help from dedicated volunteers participating in our trap-loan scheme. “As a result of this targeted grey squirrel control red squirrels have gradually returned to North Deeside, with populations establishing through Peterculter, Milltimber, Bieldside and Cults. In 2017 red squirrels arrived at Robert Gordon University. With healthy populations already in Hazleh ...

  A local Red Squirrel Group is calling on Dumfries residents to help protect the town’s red squirrels by taking part in a grey squirrel trap-loan scheme. The Lower Nithsdale Red Squirrel Group, in partnership with Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels, is asking residents to join a trap-loan scheme that will help prevent Dumfries from becoming a “grey squirrel town”. Participants in the scheme will volunteer to monitor a trap in their garden, designed to capture live squirrels. Any captured red squirrels will be released, while grey squirrels will be humanely dispatched by a trained individual. The greatest threat to the survival of red squirrels is the spread of the grey squirrel, a non-native species that was introduced to Britain from North America. Grey squirrels outcompete native red squirrels for food and habitat. They can also carry squirrelpox, a disease that doesn’t harm them but is deadly to reds. Despite serious decline across many parts of Scotland, Dumfries & Galloway remains a stronghold for red squirrels in the south and many residents have been protecting their red squirrels for over two decades through volunteer action, supported by the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) project. Dr Stephanie Johnstone, SSRS Conservation Officer for South West Scotland said: “The Lower Nith Valley has seen a substantial increase in grey squirrels in the past few years, but recent action from SSRS staff, local landowners and volunteers has sign ...

  We often say that we couldn’t save Scotland’s red squirrels without the hard work and dedication of our volunteers, and we mean it!   Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels is a pretty big team. We have 19 full-time members of staff, rising to 27 during the summer months. Whether we’re carrying out grey squirrel control work, engaging with local communities or making sure the bills get paid, there’s always plenty to be getting on with. Often it feels like there’s too much to do! We are a large team, but we cover vast areas up and down the country – anywhere where Scotland’s core red squirrel populations are threatened by the spread of grey squirrels. Our staff are always running around and running out of time; and without the help of volunteers, things would very quickly turn to chaos. To celebrate Volunteers’ Week, here’s some numbers that demonstrate just how valuable our volunteers are to us. Students from Borders College volunteering in this year's spring survey   182 182 volunteers participated in this year’s spring survey, visiting feeder boxes multiple times between April and March to collect hair samples for analysis.   208 208 trained volunteers have carried out grey squirrel control work since 2017, helping ensure Scotland's core red squirrel populations are fully protected.   416 Since 2017, volunteers have spent 416 hours engaging with the public, helping to raise awareness of red squirrel con ...

  Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels has confirmed that a squirrelpox outbreak is spreading along the Solway coast. Locals are urged to remain vigilant as this fatal disease could have serious consequences for the area’s red squirrel populations. In recent weeks at least 15 red squirrels have died as a result of squirrelpox, with more sick squirrels spotted across an area that spans from Palnackie to Carsethorn. With the outbreak ongoing and continuing to spread, Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels is calling on people to remove any wildlife feeding equipment and report squirrel sightings to the project. Squirrelpox is a virus that is carried by grey squirrels without them being affected. Native red squirrels do not typically have immunity. Symptoms include lesions which prevent the red squirrel from eating, drinking or moving. As a result, it is usually fatal within two weeks and an outbreak can cause local numbers to crash. Wildlife feeder boxes and garden bird tables increase the risk of squirrelpox transmission as they bring squirrels of both species into closer contact with one another. While the virus is initially spread by grey squirrels, once it has entered the red squirrel population, red-to-red squirrel transmission will also occur. It is therefore imperative that all squirrels are prevented from coming into close contact at feeders during an outbreak. Although squirrelpox outbreaks have become relatively common in the south of Scotland, this area has n ...

  This week is national Invasive Species Week, 13-17 May, which aims to raise awareness across Great Britain about invasive species and their impacts.   Being a project all about invasive species, here at the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative, we’re quite excited about having a whole week of lots of people talking about Invasive Species and we’d love everyone to share in our enthusiasm and learn something new during the week. For example, did you know that… The estimated total annual costs of invasive non-native species to Scotland is more than £250 million? Giant hogweed leaves, which contain skin-burning sap, can grow up to 1m wide? Predation by the invasive American mink was one of the main factors in the staggering 94% decline in native water vole populations? The American skunk-cabbage plant does actually smell as bad as a skunk….   White butterburr was imported as a garden ornamental from mainland Europe and SW Asia and escaped into the wild.   What is an Invasive Species? There are around 2,000 non-native plants and animals in the UK, these non-native species are species that have been transported here from their native range with the assistance of humans (either deliberately or accidently).  Of these only 10-15% go on to cause problems, having a negative impact on our environment, our economy or our way of life – these are termed as invasive non-native species.   Why are invasives proble ...

  As it’s National Gardening Week we thought we would share some tips on how to make your garden more red squirrel-friendly. By making a few small changes, you could be helping some of your local residents stay bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.   Have you ever winced as yet another neighbour monoblocks their front garden, or covers their back garden with plastic turf? Then you’ll understand that it’s never been more important to create safe havens for wildlife in our urban and suburban environments. Fortunately, while some people continue to push out nature in favour of cars and convenience, others are making space in their lives for a bit of wildness. Thanks to increased awareness in recent years we’re leaving gaps in fences for hedgehogs, creating log piles for insects and providing a vital source of food for the local birds. Creating a wildlife-friendly garden comes with the reward of experiencing closer encounters with some of the creatures that share our living space with us. If you’re lucky enough to have red squirrels visit your garden then you’ll know that their antics can provide plenty of entertainment! By managing your garden with red squirrels in mind you’ll not only be increasing your chances of observing them at close quarters, you’ll be helping ensure the local population can continue to make its home in the area. © Steve Gardner   Grow plants that benefit red squirrels There are a number of shrubs and trees you c ...

  After years of carefully targeted grey squirrel control, we were excited to hear that a red squirrel has been spotted in Luss. It’s a sign that our native reds are beginning to make a comeback on Loch Lomond’s western shores. Luss Estate is a nationally important area for red squirrel conservation because it sits on the Highland Boundary Fault line, where the grey squirrels of the Central Belt meet Scotland’s core red squirrel populations in the Highlands. It’s therefore crucial that we prevent the greys from spreading any further north, and that their numbers are reduced to allow nearby red populations to recolonise the area. Our data shows that red squirrels completely disappeared from Loch Lomond’s western shore except for a small enclave at Tarbet, while grey squirrels have been well established in the Luss area for over a century. Thanks to the efforts of Luss Estate, other private landowners and Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project staff and volunteers along the western shore, it looks like the tide is beginning to turn. Now that one red squirrel has been spotted in a Luss resident’s garden we’re hoping we’ll see many more red sightings popping up on our sightings map in the months and years to come. Change is also happening in other areas to the west of Loch Lomond. Last week Arrochar resident Fiona Jackson reported seeing a red squirrel in her garden for the first time ever! Local volunteers have been contributing to our grey squirr ...

  Gala Men’s Shed, part of the Men’s Shed network across Scotland, put their impressive array of tools and woodworking skills to good use in aid of red squirrel conservation.   A small team of Shed members made a whopping 83 feeder boxes for Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels’ annual squirrel survey. Saws and screws at the ready, they turned all the wood into feeder boxes in only 2 days! The squirrel survey is carried out each spring during March and April. It’s a huge undertaking, only possible with the efforts of volunteers. There are 115 survey sites across south Scotland, and each survey site needs four feeder boxes. Feeder boxes are cleaned and re-used most of the time, but we still need to replace around 20% each year as they get chewed to bits by hungry squirrels. Each feeder box has a bit of sticky Velcro on the lid of the box, so when a squirrel opens the box to get to the food, it leaves a sample of hair on the sticky pad. These hair samples are then analysed under a microscope to determine which species of squirrels are in the area. All this information allows us to track long-term changes in squirrel distribution. It doesn’t give us any idea of how many squirrels are in an area, just which species of squirrel is found there. Without the hard work of the gents of Gala Men’s Shed, our annual spring survey would be much harder to organise. And it’s not just Gala Men’s Shed that is getting in on the action. Dalbeattie Men’s Sh ...

  Yesterday we published our 2018 squirrel survey report. It concluded that while red squirrel populations are stable in most parts of Scotland, in the south they continue to be threatened by disease and competition from the spread of non-native grey squirrels.   Many papers have reported that our survey only detected 59 red squirrels in South Scotland – a very alarming figure! However, our survey isn’t designed to count squirrel numbers, it’s designed to help us understand how red and grey squirrel distribution is changing over time. In the report, 59 was quoted as the number of locations in the south of Scotland that were surveyed in both 2017 and 2018, and could therefore be compared. The figure isn’t linked to squirrel numbers, or squirrel distribution.   What does the spring survey tell us? Each year between March and April, staff and volunteers monitor four feeder boxes placed within a 2km square called a ‘tetrad’. Hair samples are collected from the feeder boxes at two-week intervals, which are then analysed under a microscope to determine the species. This gives us a good indication of whether that tetrad contains red squirrels, grey squirrels, both species, or no squirrels. Of course, in one year a feeder box may not be visited by every species in the area, but when compared over the course of many years, this landscape-scale approach to monitoring can provide a strong indication of how both species are faring. By und ...