Pine martens: a natural ally

Author: Dr Mel Tonkin A new study has confirmed that Scotland’s recovering pine martens are having a positive effect on red squirrels. Conservationists have long suspected that pine martens could help control the spread of grey squirrels in Scotland, a theory that was bolstered when research conducted in Ireland in 2014 produced very promising results. Now a paper published in… […]

Read More…

Celebrate red squirrels in the National Park

Original Author: Mary-Anne Collis Did you know that next week is Red Squirrel Week? From 24 September – 1 October Loch Lomond & the Trossachs National Park will be celebrating one of Scotland’s favourite animals, and raising awareness of the work that’s being done to protect them. Of course we wanted in on the action!   Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels… […]

Read More…

New Conservation Officer calls for the public to help protect red squirrels in the Scottish Borders

  Laura Preston, the new Scottish Borders Conservation Officer for Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels, is calling on locals to help the project by reporting sightings of both red and grey squirrels online.   Laura joins Community Engagement Officer Alexa Seagrave in the project’s new regional office near Newton St Boswells. They will be working with landowners and volunteers to protect… […]

Read More…

Sitemap

Pages 2024 Great Scottish Squirrel Survey About Us Partners & Funders The Team VolunteerFAQs Community Hub Community Hub FAQs Contact Us Events Get Involved Activities Hub Operations and Communications Group In Your Area Argyll, Trossachs & Stirling North East Scotland South Scotland Tayside, Angus & the Mearns Login / Register Lost Password My Account Network Directory Annandale Network Group Annandale… […]

Read More…

Invasive Non-Native Species Week 2025 – Behind the scenes

After escaping a zoo enclosure in 1971, a small number of grey squirrels quickly gained a foothold in Aberdeen. Since 2009, SSRS has worked with local partners to reduce grey squirrel population density and distribution in the north east. Our work to date has been very successful, and we are now aiming to completely eradicate grey squirrels from the north… […]

Read More…

How many red squirrels are there in Scotland?

  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… […]

Read More…

Invasive Species Week: the road to recovery

The grey squirrel is one of the country’s most widely recognised animals, but not everyone knows that it is a non-native species. As 23 – 29 March is ‘Invasive Species Week’, we reflect on the progress that’s been made in managing and preventing the negative impact of grey squirrels on their native counterparts in Scotland.   Invasive Species Week… […]

Read More…

Cally Gardens Wildlife Hide is now open!

  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… […]

Read More…

Building a Volunteer Network

  Network groups across South Scotland priority areas are ensuring the long-term survival of native red squirrels through community action. In our project’s priority areas, some of these groups are already beginning to see red squirrel populations bounce back.   Red squirrel gro ups have been invaluable in collective conservation efforts to date in South Scotland and are led by… […]

Read More…

This Year's Sightings