News and Blogs

    It’s that time of year again when we receive a lot of worried enquiries about red squirrels with bald patches from the public, concerned that the squirrels are either sick or injured. As you can see from the image below, they can look very ragged, and some squirrels have large areas of bald skin! The good news is that if it is running about happily, it is likely that it is simply shedding its winter coat, or moulting. In fact red squirrels have two moults a year, in the spring and the autumn. Starting at the head and working its way down the body to the base of the tail, the moult can take up to six weeks to complete, and in the autumn the whole process begins again in the opposite direction, from the base of the tail and moving up towards the head. The glorious fluffy tail and ear tips only moult once a year. The tail begins its moult in June and can take until September to complete. We often get sent photographs of squirrels with one side of its tail looking rather bald and unsightly. The ear tips start to thin out slowly from January, reappearing in September in time for the autumn frosts. It seems a little precipitous to start moulting at a time of year in Scotland when you can still get hard frosts and heavy snows, and we can only theorise why they moult so early. Dr Mel Tonkin, formerly Project Manager of SSRS was studying wild red squirrels in the 1980’s and didn’t see any evidence of moulting this early. Is it an effect of climate ...

  This week marks the official end of ‘Developing Community Action’. The past five years have gone incredibly fast! So what happens next?   Funded by National Lottery Players, ‘Developing Community Action’ saw the SSRS team expand to its largest ever staffing level, with ambitious aims to boost our engagement with local communities, build a network of skilled volunteers and, of course, protect red squirrels by managing the spread of grey squirrels in priority areas across Scotland. We’ve faced significant challenges along the way, not least due to the impact of Covid-19, but there is a lot to celebrate, from red squirrels making a comeback in Aberdeen to the network of 18 volunteer groups now taking action across the south of Scotland. And it’s not the end for Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels. In December we were delighted to announce that the project has secured funding from project partners and the National Lottery Heritage Fund to continue work for another two years, from April 2022 – March 2024. If you volunteer with us you can find out what this means for your group and your area on our Volunteer FAQ page.   What will we aim to achieve? Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels has always been reliant on short-term funding cycles. Over the next two years we want to work with partners and other stakeholders to develop a more sustainable, permanent programme capable of securing the long-term survival of core red squirrel populations of ...

  Join team squirrel! We're currently recruiting for eight exciting new opportunities across Scotland.   Programme Manager Location: Leith Region: National Contract: Full-time fixed term until March 2024 Closing date: 14 March 2022 Are you passionate about conservation? For the next phase of Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels project, we are looking for a strong leader to take our project to it's next steps! APPLY NOW   Advocacy Officer Location: Leith Region: Nationwide Contract: Fixed term for 2 years Closing date: 20 March 2022 The successful candidate will undertake species advocacy work for the Trust with a particular focus on Squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris and Sciurus carolinensis) and Eurasian Beavers (Castor fiber) and develop policy briefings to support this work. APPLY NOW   Conservation Officer Location: National Park Headquarters, Balloch – home-working possible Region: Argyll & Trossachs Contract:  21 hours per week (0.6FTE) until March 2024 Closing date: 20 March 2022 The successful candidate will lead on the implementation of the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project across Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park and parts of Stirling and Argyll, in accordance with the SSRS project plan to protect red squirrels in the Highland Line priority landscape and to inspire people to value their local red squirrels and wider natural ...

  Research carried out in Northern Ireland has highlighted the importance of native woodland for the long-term protection of red squirrels. The research modelled red squirrel populations in non-native conifer forests with the presence of pine martens— a natural predator to the red squirrel in both Scotland and Northern Ireland. Pine martens had been persecuted to near-extinction in Scotland, but thanks to legal protections and reintroduction schemes they are gradually making a comeback across the country. Despite their appetite for squirrel, previous research has shown that the return of pine martens spells good news for our native reds, as their presence will reduce the number of grey squirrels in an area and enable the red population to recover. Unlike the non-native grey squirrels, pine martens and red squirrels have evolved to co-exist in our natural ecosystem. However, a new paper from Queen’s University Belfast and University of St Andrews suggests that in non-native conifer forests, the presence of pine martens may cause a decline in red squirrels. The predator’s appetite switches from grey squirrels – which are often absent in commercial conifers – to red squirrels. The researchers, together with Ulster Wildlife, bring into question red squirrel conservation strategies that focus on the planting of such forests.   Scotland’s conifer forests In Scotland, non-native conifer forests are planted for commercial purposes. By the 1930s ...

  In December over 100 SSRS volunteers, landowners and other supporters joined us online to celebrate the end of the project's 'Developing Community Action' phase. The two-day Knowledge Fair featured presentations and panel discussions on all that the project has achieved over the past five years. It was also an opportunity to learn more about the red squirrel conservation work happening across Scotland and beyond; and to look ahead to a future of working together to protect one of Scotland’s most iconic species. All the presentations and Q&A sessions are now available to watch again on YouTube, including our fantastic film 'The People Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels, created by Keildih Ewan.   YOUTUBE PLAYLIST   FRIDAY 3 DECEMBER   Session 1: Welcome to Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels PROJECT FILM – The People Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels The SSRS-Developing Community Action story - Dr Mel Tonkin, Project Manager SSRS in the North East - Dr Emma Sheehy, Conservation Officer SSRS in Argyll, the Trossachs & Stirlingshire - Mary-Anne Collis, Conservation Officer SSRS in Tayside - Ann-Marie MacMaster, Conservation Officer SSRS in South Scotland - Sarah Cooper, South East Community Engagement Officer Session Q&A   Session 2: Around the UK Holding the Red Line in Northern England - Heinz Traut, Red Squirrels Northern England Northern Ireland updat ...

  The Scottish Wildlife Trust is pleased to announce that the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project has secured initial funding for a two-year transitional project phase in April 2022.   This ‘booster’ phase will enable the project to complete its aims and plan for the long-term future, leaving a legacy of sustainable and community-led red squirrel conservation across the south of Scotland. Vital conservation work will continue in all the project’s priority areas to help mitigate some of the challenges the project has faced in recent years. Supported by project partners, the new phase will run from April 2022 to March 2024. Project Manager Dr Mel Tonkin said: “Thanks to the hard work of our staff, volunteers, landowners and partners we’ve seen some fantastic success stories in the past five years. But the project has also faced challenges, particularly due to the impact of Covid-19. During lockdown much of our grey squirrel control and survey work was suspended. This additional two years will help us further secure the red squirrel’s place amongst Scotland’s special native wildlife.” Scottish Wildlife Trust Chief Executive Jo Pike said: “We’re delighted to have secured funding to enable the two-year transition phase to take place. The strength of the collaboration between partners, the quality of the data and evidence gathering, and the extraordinary contribution from volunteers have all combined to make this a project that is righ ...

  Back in September we asked the Scottish public once again to get outdoors, enjoy nature and keep an eye out for both red and grey squirrels during National Red Squirrel Week. Sightings were reported on the SSRS website and each one was individually verified. Now we are delighted to report that the results are in! 1099 people took part across the country, reporting an incredible 1549 sightings in just one week.     We were particularly keen to see this year’s results due to the impact Covid-19 has had on our annual Spring Survey, which has been cancelled for the past two years. More detailed analysis is ongoing, but the overall distribution of red and grey squirrels across the 2021 Great Scottish Squirrel Survey results map looks highly positive, reflecting the project’s continued progress towards achieving its aims in priority areas: Removal of grey squirrels from Aberdeen and the surrounding countryside, allowing reds to return to the city Protecting the ‘Highland Line’ – preventing grey squirrels from spreading further north towards Scotland’s core red squirrel populations in Grampian and the Highlands Protecting thriving red squirrel populations in the south of Scotland within ‘Priority Areas for Red Squirrel Conservation’ (PARCs) Participation in the Great Scottish Squirrel Survey was down from last year, although this isn’t surprising given 2020 was a bumper year for squirrel sightings. With lockdown restrictin ...

  Stormy weather has hit Scotland hard in recent weeks, causing severe hardship to many and devastation to some of our native and commercial woodlands. While the safety of our staff and volunteers is always our top priority, it’s not surprising that many people have been in touch with us to ask “how are the red squirrels coping?”   Some interesting facts about red squirrels: they are excellent home-builders and expert insulators. Squirrel nests (called dreys) are made from all sorts of sturdy and cosy materials. From the outside they might look like a messy ball of twigs, but they won’t fall apart that easily! Squirrel dreys are often so well insulated with moss, leaves and feathers that no heat can be seen escaping when viewed through a thermal imager. Perfect for a quiet night in! Red squirrels plan ahead and will usually have several dreys on the go at any one time, moving between them as and when suits them. So if a squirrel felt threatened in one drey they will often have the option to move elsewhere, and if a drey was destroyed they wouldn’t become homeless overnight. Of course, it is entirely possible that some red squirrels (and other wildlife) have been harmed as a result of Storm Arwen and Storm Barra, although measuring this would be a very difficult task. Certainly some sources of food will have been lost. However, we can take comfort knowing just how resourceful and adaptable these animals are. It is very unlikely local red squirrel ...

  Since way back in 2019 there has been a plan to build a hide from which we could watch and photograph woodland wildlife near Gatehouse. Finally, this mission has been accomplished with a launch event held in Cally Woods on Wednesday 10 November. This project has been led by the Gatehouse Squirrel Group, and its members’ generous donations covered the cost of all the necessary materials. Kevin Hughes of Cally Gardens welcomed the idea of hosting the hide in woodland that he owns behind and above his celebrated walled garden: we are very grateful to him for this access. A few dedicated Squirrel Group members have built the hide itself, using recycled timber whenever possible. The tree canopy has been opened up and the understorey cleared in places by the National Scenic Area volunteer team and others. Kevin intends plant a wide range of shrubs within view of the hide, to provide sources of food such as wild fruits and nuts for red squirrels, as well as any passing badgers and foxes. This vegetation will also host more invertebrates to entice many songbird species into view, including the pied flycatcher, a stunning and rare summer visitor already nesting in the vicinity. Even the roof of the hide will be planted up by Kevin with ferns, bilberries and other species in due course! Access to the hide has been encouraged by Forestry and Land Scotland as the custodians of the Cally Woods so many people enjoy visiting. The shortest route to take starts at the car park n ...

Red squirrel conservation is lending a helping hand to another iconic Scottish species, the golden eagle. Grey squirrels caught as part of essential population control work in the Moffat area are being used to feed hungry juveniles that have recently been released into the surrounding hills.   The Moffat & District Red Squirrel Group is a network of volunteers who have come together to protect their local red squirrels, with support from the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project. While the south of Scotland is home to healthy populations of red squirrels, they are seriously threatened by the spread of grey squirrels. Grey squirrels are an invasive species that out-competes native red squirrels for food and living space. They can also carry squirrelpox, a virus that does not harm them but is fatal to red squirrels. Dumfries & Galloway has suffered several squirrelpox outbreaks in recent years, but thanks to concerted grey squirrel control efforts the affected red populations have been able to bounce back. Alistair Graham of the Moffat & District Red Squirrel Group said: “It is widely recognized in the community that the main reason there have been so few red squirrels seen around Moffat is due to the influx of grey squirrels into the area. We are carrying out a very successful trapping programme with the support of local landowners and householders. Already this year we have had more than double the number of reported red squirrel sightings c ...