News and Blogs

Original Author: Ken Neil, Tayside Project Officer   Preparing for a talk in Glasgow   So, off to Glasgow to deliver a talk to the Glasgow Glenmore Club. It was a last minute stand in for Mel, who was called away elsewhere, but a welcome visit to old haunts. It turns out that their meeting place is one street away from my old flat where I lived for six years when I was a city dweller. For me delivering public talks is one of the pleasures of being a Red Squirrel project Officer. The people that we are invited to speak to range wide in age (from nursery tots to the elderly) and knowledge (from primary pupils just learning about nature to Natural History societies, who don't always have the most tricky questions). What they have in common is that they have asked us along to find out what we do to protect one of the best loved Scottish mammals. If we are lucky, they also want to know what they can do to help. There is always a pleasant sense of anticipation when sorting out my presentation, maybe adding a new picture or two that has been submitted by one of our enthusiastic photographer friends, checking that my facts are up to date and dusting off “the boys” (my red and grey stuffed squirrels). Then, on arriving, I am keen to find out how many have turned up, though be it six or sixty, the show goes on. Passing on one's enthusiasm for a subject is never hard and the reward is huge when I can see that spark igniting and people paying attention, fired up ...

Original Author: Paul McDonald, Project Officer for Argyll, the Trossachs and Stirling Paul McDonald, Project Officer for Argyll, the Trossachs and Stirling, has fun in the snow.   One of the advantages of my position being three days per week is that I can take advantage of the weather. Today (Tuesday March 3rd), I woke up to discover that several inches of snow had laid overnight and that the snow was still falling heavily. I live in a cozy, small bothy on a farm just outside of Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park, about one kilometer up a rough dirt track. And that track was not passable in my small car. Knowing that I was able to postpone my office work until tomorrow, I decided to take a snow day so that I could go out and play… Snow squirrel reported in my garden on 3 March. Image: Paul McDonald.   I spent most of the morning out on the farm, taking a tip out of Emma’s book and doing some tracking. Tracks found included: sheep (shocking!), roe deer, fox, field vole trails, pheasants, and a variety of crows. I was fortunate enough to even find the trail of an otter, bounding through the snow, in and out of the Endrick! Unfortunately, I didn’t find any squirrel trails or sign in the nearby woods. King of all he surveys! Image: Paul McDonald.   Without any squirrel sign, I decided to make my own evidence for squirrel presence at my home. I made a 1.5 metre snow squirrel, which you can see here. It only took me 45 minute ...

Original Author: Paul McDonald, Project Officer for Argyll, the Trossachs and Stirling   Paul McDonald, Project Officer for Argyll, the Trossachs and Stirling, explains the science behind grey squirrel control.   I took a trip to Montreal over December and had a great old Canadian time! There was snow on the ground and the temperature was a balmy minus 10 degrees Celsius (it is minus 30 there, as I type this). Montreal has a beautiful park on a large hill - Mount Royal - and each time that I visited “The Mountain” (including the afternoon when I was lost in a blizzard), I was delighted to see eastern grey squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) going about their business in the snow. Curious and forward - this grey seems to think that I'll be feeding it! Photograph: Paul McDonald   Initially I was confused about this positive reaction - every time I see a grey squirrel in the UK, I become sad thinking about the native red squirrels (Sciurus vulgaris) which might have been in their place. However, I quickly realised that, here, I was seeing the grey squirrels in their native ecosystem, interacting with animals and plants with which they have evolved in equilibrium, and that no other species were being threatened by its presence. It allowed me to truly appreciate this animal for the first time (my first sighting of a grey squirrel was that of an invasive species in my home town, where it has now replaced the red squirrels). What I saw was an amazi ...

Original Author: Steve Willis, Project Officer for North East Scotland   Many of you will be familiar with the simple (but effective) feeder boxes we use for our surveys of red and grey squirrels - but did you know how they are made? Project Officer for North East Scotland, Steve Willis, explains all.   Many of you will be familiar with the simple (but effective) feeder boxes we use for our surveys of red and grey squirrels. Up in Aberdeenshire, we work closely with a fantastic social enterprise to make them. Below is the story of how some waste wood ends up coming back to life. Wood Recyclability Ltd was established in 1997 to offer adults with learning difficulties (trainees) a meaningful, realistic workplace environment as an alternative to Day Care Centres. Our workshop training programme takes our trainees through separation and de-nailing of recycled timber, use of hand and power tools and the construction of a wide range of garden furniture and wildlife products. The fantastic trainees from Wood Recyclability Ltd with a number of their red squirrel feeder boxes. Photograph: Wood Recyclability Ltd.   We have worked with Wood Recyclability for many years now and over that time we have tweaked the feeder boxes to their current design. So, starting with some wood that would otherwise be destined for landfill, it goes to their workshop in Pitmedden. It all gets sorted and separated, then the hard-working trainees set about making whateve ...

Original Author: Peter Trimming, supporter This fantastic video, shot by Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels supporter Peter Trimming, shows a red squirrel in south Scotland (nicknamed 'Belinda') taking a hazelnut from Peter's hand.  

Original Author: Emma Rawling, Project Officer for South West Scotland   Winter is a fantastic time to see red squirrel tracks which are hard to see the rest of the year. Emma Rawling, Project Officer for South West Scotland, gives us her top tips for spotting red squirrel tracks.   Winter is a fantastic time to see red squirrel tracks which are hard to see the rest of the year. Squirrels are arboreal, spending most of their time in tree tops, so you don’t often find their tracks unless there happens to be a good mud or sand patch en route to their favourite feeder. Fresh squirrel tracks, with my glove as a size guide! Photograph: Emma Rawling.   Winter snow makes red squirrel footprints (and those of many other animals) clearly visible, and will give you a good idea of who is out and about, even overnight. Light, fresh snow is best for tracking, rather than hard-packed, icy surfaces. Look for squirrel footprints around your feeders or at the base of trees where they have been busy digging up caches of nuts stored for the winter. These pictures of a squirrel's footprints in snow really show how tiny their feet are and how delicate. Notice how the hind feet (at the top of the picture) are much longer than the front, and how the front ‘fingers’ spay out into a star shape - they are long and dexterous for manipulating their food. Many people are surprised at how long a squirrel’s claws are - they are vital tools for all that climbing and ...

Original Author: Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels This image of a red squirrel caught red handed in a feeder box was provided to us by photographer Katrina Martin. Have you seen a red or grey squirrel near you recently? If so, please report the sighting!  

Original Author: Emma Rawling, Project Officer for South West Scotland   How many different red squirrels are visiting your garden, park or wood? Have you ever tried to distinguish and identify them? Well, here’s how you can - why not give it a try this winter?   How many different red squirrels are visiting your garden, park or wood? Have you ever tried to distinguish and identify them? Well, here’s how you can - why not give it a try this winter? Red squirrels have many different coat and tail colours and patterns, and they can vary from very pale blonde to almost black, with some coat colours being more common in local areas. Take a photo of each of your red squirrels - try to get clear shots, ideally in a similar position such as at a feeder, with a good view of the tail as this is often the most distinctive part of the squirrel. You can compare them and create your own photographic ID chart for your local squirrels. Red squirrel on the osprey nest at Loch of the Lowes. Photograph: Scottish Wildlife Trust   However, remember squirrels do moult (spring and autumn) often with surprising colour changes, so you will need to redo your chart each year. Their distinctive ear tufts are often gradually moulted in the summer, to be replaced at the same time as the new tail fur in the autumn, so it’s easiest to start your chart in winter. Here is great example of such a chart, complete with nicknames assigned to each animal, which was put toge ...

Original Author: Saving Scotland's Red Squirrels This video formed part of Scottish Natural Heritage's "Scotland's Big 5" campaign, and provides a number of close up shots of red squirrels feeding.

Original Author: Muirhead Red Squirrel Sanctuary   Project Officer for Tayside, Ken Neil, talks about the importance of the Muirhead Red Squirrel Sanctuary, on the outskirts of Dundee. Working closely with volunteers and neighbours, they protect the red squirrel by maintaining a relatively secure breeding area, providing sanctuary from predating domestic pets and controlling other animal and environmental threats where possible. Click here to visit their website.