News and Blogs

  If you volunteer with us in South Scotland, you may have noticed a lot of coming and going amongst our project staff in recent months. Here’s a handy guide to who they are, where they are based and what they’ll be up to in the coming months and years.   The Scottish Borders Laura Preston: Conservation Officer Laura is the latest addition to the SSRS team, replacing Ann-Marie MacMaster who has returned to her original role as Conservation Officer for Tayside. Laura joins us from the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Falls of Clyde Wildlife Reserve, where she was Ranger for eight years. In her new role she’ll be working with landowners and volunteers to ensure there is a strategic and effective approach to grey squirrel control across the Scottish Borders. Contact: lpreston@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk   Alexa Seagrave: Community Engagement Officer (part-time) Alexa has recently changed roles, having previously worked as Conservation Officer for the region. Her new focus is on engaging with local communities and volunteers in the region’s priority areas; attending events, organising volunteer training and helping to establish new red squirrel volunteer networks in the Scottish Borders. Contact: aseagrave@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk   Scottish Borders Office Unit 4, Tweed Horizons Centre, Newtown St Boswells, Melrose, TD6 0SG Tel: 01835823054   South West Scotland Dr Stephanie Johnstone: Conservat ...

  The first ‘Red Squirrel Forum for South Scotland’ conference took place in Johnstonebridge on Saturday 27 October, bringing together the many volunteer groups and individuals working to protect red squirrels across the region.   The event was a significant step in our collective efforts to develop landscape-scale community action across South Scotland, which is recognised as being key to the species’ long-term future here. Representatives from nine volunteer networks attended, covering areas from Gatehouse of Fleet in the west to the Berwickshire coast in the east. The gathering offered a chance for volunteers to share their knowledge, experiences and ideas, as well as motivate and inspire one another. On the day we also heard presentations about Cumbria and Northumberland, where some of the only remaining red squirrel populations in England are being successfully conserved through a strong network of volunteer groups, some of which have been operating for as long as three decades. We envisage that a similar level of coverage and cooperation can be achieved in South Scotland to provide the protection that these inter-connected red squirrel populations need to survive. © Peter Garson   So what’s next for the Red Squirrel Forum for South Scotland? Firstly, the event provided an opportunity to reflect on the strengths and achievements of the existing volunteer networks, most notably: Through targeted grey squirrel control wor ...

  This week Royal Bank of Scotland unveiled the design of its new polymer £20 banknote, which will be in circulation from 2020.   The note’s front side features famous Glaswegian tearoom owner and Mackintosh collaborator Catherine Cranston. It’s great to see Miss Cranston receive well-earned recognition as a pioneer of female entrepreneurship, the first woman other than the Queen to appear on a Scottish twenty. However it was the note’s other side that we were keenly awaiting here at Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels. The design is part of the RBS ‘Fabric of Nature’ series, which began in the sea (£5, mackerel), moving on to the coast (£10, otters), and is now heading into the forest. A few of us had known for a while that red squirrels would have a starring role in this design. Our Project Manager Dr Mel Tonkin provided the design team with her red squirrel expertise, helping to create an image that was scientifically accurate while maintaining its illustrative charm. Of course, this whole process had to be kept top secret! The scene depicted on the note will be familiar to anyone who is lucky enough to have red squirrels regularly visiting their garden: a spiralling mating chase, most often seen in late winter or early spring. Mel was particularly keen that the squirrels’ claws were given some attention to detail, highlighting their perfect adaptation to life in the treetops. The red squirrel has come to be regarded as a quintes ...

  Welcome to the brand new Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels website! Please have a look around.   Like before, the site is the place to find out about the latest project news, get in touch with the team and of course report your squirrel sightings. However it’s much more than that – scottishsquirrels.org.uk is now home to the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels online Community Hub. Made possible thanks to National Lottery Players, the Community Hub is an online space where registered users can connect with both the project and other local squirrel enthusiasts. It’s also a tool to help people get more involved in red squirrel volunteering. Anyone can sign up and make an account, and there are different uses depending on your location and interests.   Become an expert squirrel spotter Last year we received a record-breaking 5300 squirrel sightings on our website. Each sighting is added to a national database, helping us better understand squirrel distribution across Scotland. If you’re a dedicated squirrel spotter, you can now register with the Hub to keep a personal record of your own submitted sightings. Perhaps you want to monitor squirrel populations in your local area, or keep a record of your squirrel sightings as your travel round the country. Either way your data will be contributing to the bigger picture. To become an expert squirrel spotter, simply create an account with the Community Hub   Become a super squirrel volunt ...

  This Red Squirrel Week (24-30 September) the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) project is calling on Scots to lend a hand by recording sightings of red and grey squirrels in their local area.   The project has created a new online Hub where people all over Scotland can help protect one of the UK’s most threatened species by reporting red and grey squirrel sightings or by getting involved with a local volunteer group. Over 5000 squirrel sightings were reported in 2017 but with the launch of their new Hub, SSRS is this year looking to hit the 10,000 target. Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels Project Manager, Dr Mel Tonkin said: “For Red Squirrel Week, we’re launching a brand new website where dedicated squirrel spotters can register and keep a personal record of their squirrel sightings. “The comprehensive mapping allows them to view their own squirrel conservation data as well as all of the project’s long-term data. It’s a great way for people to see how their efforts are contributing to changes over time. “It’s also a meeting point where volunteers and supporters can connect with other red squirrel enthusiasts in their area.” Autumn is a very busy time of year for red squirrels as they take advantage of the season’s bountiful supply of nuts, seeds, berries and fungi; making it an ideal time for squirrel sightings. As well as looking up to the treetops to spot squirrels, people should also keep an eye on the forest ...

  Bob Peace from the Glenkens Red Squirrel Group shares his inspiration for getting involved in red squirrel conservation and explains how the volunteer group has gone from strength to strength in recent times.   As a young boy growing up in West Yorkshire in the 1950s, red squirrels were a common sight and grey squirrels were just pictures in nature books. How things change? When I moved to Dumfries and Galloway in the early 70s grey squirrels were a rarity, still confined to the south and a few pockets within the Central Belt and red squirrels were frequently seen in many parts of the region. Fast forward forty years and the picture changed. More greys were being reported, fewer reds were seen and action was required to conserve the population of red squirrels. We were losing our iconic red squirrels. I didn’t want my grandchildren to grow up seeing grey squirrels and only pictures of red squirrels in nature books! So I got involved initially with the Spring Survey at two sites in the Glenkens locality which I found very rewarding. Then in autumn 2014 a public meeting was held in New Galloway, hosted by Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels to discuss the future conservation of the red squirrel. Government funding was being reduced and the future of SSRS was in the balance. Local groups of volunteers were seen to be the answer. From seeds sown at this meeting the Glenkens Red Squirrel Group was formed with a small nucleus of dedicated volunteers. Now the ...

  The Solway Forests Red Squirrel Network, one of the newest volunteer networks to emerge in South Scotland, is raising funds and awareness through an amateur photography competition.   Have you taken a red squirrel photograph that you’re particularly proud of? With their fondness for scurrying high amongst the trees, it’s not always easy to capture a red squirrel on camera. However, a quick scroll down the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels Facebook feed demonstrates that many of our followers have had great success. The Solway Forests Red Squirrel Network is inviting amateur photographers to enter their 2019 photography competition. All funds raised will go towards the group’s red squirrel conservation activities, from grey squirrel control work to community engagement. They are looking for atmospheric and engaging photographs of red squirrels, taken anywhere in Scotland, to include in their 2019 calendar. The winning photograph will be featured on the front cover of the calendar, and 11 others will be selected for each month of 2019. Started in August 2017, Solway Forests is one of the newest red squirrel volunteer networks to emerge in South Scotland. The group formed when a number of local residents became concerned about increasing reports of grey squirrel activity in the area and decided to do something about it. The Network’s range covers the forests that stretch along the scenic Solway coast, from Dumfries to Dalbeattie. Much o ...

  Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels is urging the public to be on the lookout as recent grey squirrel sightings have been reported in crucial areas for red squirrel conservation. The project has received reports of recent grey squirrel activity around both Ellon and St Cyrus, prompting a call for locals to record sightings of both red and grey squirrels online. The grey squirrel is an invasive species that was introduced to Britain from North America. They out-compete red squirrels for food and living space and some also carry squirrelpox, a virus that doesn’t harm grey squirrels but is deadly to reds. Grey squirrels were first introduced to Aberdeen in the 1970s, rapidly spreading throughout the city and into surrounding Aberdeenshire, causing the region’s red squirrel populations to decline rapidly. Years of grey squirrel control work carried out by Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels has already removed grey squirrels from much of Aberdeenshire, allowing red squirrels to return to places such as Ellon and even some parts of Aberdeen. A 2017 survey conducted by the project indicated that red squirrel populations in the North East have increased, while remaining stable elsewhere in the country. Bob Coyle The reason for the recent increase in grey squirrel sightings in Aberdeenshire is unclear but may be due to young grey squirrels from this year’s breeding season spreading out to look for new habitat. Dr Gwen Maggs, Saving Scotland’s Red Squir ...

  By Rebecca Witt   Earlier this year, student and wildlife photographer Rebecca Witt spent some time with Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels as part of her mission to capture Britain’s red squirrel conservation movement on camera.   Hello! My name is Rebecca and I had the pleasure of working with Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) for my final year university project about red squirrel conservation in the UK. Throughout the last year, I have travelled across the UK to photograph and document the various ways we help red squirrel populations, and the people that are behind these important projects and initiatives. Thanks to SSRS, I had the opportunity to learn more about their Spring Survey. The survey is completed every year to gain a better understanding of which areas are inhabited by red and grey squirrels, and any population changes that occur with both species. I spent the day with Val, a volunteer in Southern Scotland, and she kindly took me to two different sites that she monitors every two weeks during the survey period. It was lovely to meet her and see first-hand the work that she and many others dedicate to conserving our only native squirrel. The photographs below feature the survey process with Val, and exactly what she gets up to on her visits. If you like what you see, then more of my project can be seen at: www.rwitt.co.uk

  By Andrew Vickery and Brian Fishwick   1-7 June is Volunteers’ Week, a chance to say thank you to the hundreds of volunteers who make saving Scotland’s red squirrels possible. We asked two of our spring survey volunteers to tell us more about their experience, including the highlights (and challenges!) of monitoring squirrel populations in Scotland.   Helping red squirrels to hold their own I’ve been a volunteer with the project for about 7 years, the spring survey being my main activity. The initial interest for me is the anticipation of lifting the lid on the feeder boxes to see if there have been any visitors, and to wonder at the ingenuity of squirrels in working out how to get at the food inside, but I love being outdoors anyway and the survey gets me into the woods at a lovely time of year. The new growth underfoot and in the trees is an attraction in itself and the birdlife is always interesting – woodpeckers in particular in one of the woods I visit. I have enjoyed being in places I might otherwise never have visited without being involved in the survey, sometimes alone, sometimes answering questions from passing walkers interested in what I’m doing. One highlight was when I’d just filled a feeder box and was bending down to pick up the container of squirrel feed – to spot a red squirrel some two feet away, eyeing up the container at close quarters, then eyeing up me and deciding to head for the feeder box instead. Another was a ...