Original Author: Steve Willis As the seasons turn squirrel activity really picks up – read on to find out what our furry friends are up to. The days are shortening, there’s a chill in the air, and everywhere you look the trees are starting to turn. It’s autumn. Photo credit: Raymond Leinster There is a huge amount of squirrel activity… […]
…trail. Come and see our creations between 12-25 October. The knitadermy started when Rose Toney of the NE Scotland Biodiversity Network spotted Elmer on BBCs Winterwatch and asked if I could knit a pine marten to use as an educational aid… The request for squirrels for SSRS then followed! Each animal is unique. I use a taxidermy form… […]
…now repeatedly been shown to depress grey squirrel presence without adversely affecting red squirrel populations! Whatever, we intend to keep on watching, counting and enjoying the red squirrels in our gardens… Find out more about the Gatehouse Squirrel Group and how you can get involved here. Or visit the SSRS Network Directory to explore volunteer network groups near you…. […]
…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… […]
…necessary to protect them. The Forum also recognised that volunteers face several challenges to establishing widespread protection for red squirrels in the region, including: Some areas such as the Nith Valley face continuous incursion by grey squirrels. Comprehensive and coordinated grey squirrel control will be a top priority in these areas for the foreseeable future. Humane and effective grey squirrel… […]
…trapping. A predominantly coniferous forest, Heathhall is not ideal habitat for grey squirrels, and many locals were surprised to hear that there were any grey squirrels at all in the forest. However, greys are known to routinely pass through, visiting feeder boxes as they go, as we’ve had several sightings of greys from the forest reported by members of the… […]
…by the presence of greys). By targeting efforts to the grey squirrels’ preferred woodland, we can create reservoirs of high quality habitat for red squirrels to reoccupy. This creates breeding populations of the native species as a source for recolonising conifer forests, should the populations there chance to come under pressure owing to seed-crop failure. In better conifer-seed years, red… […]
…potential for wide range trapping at new sites. However, land manager control has proven to create an effective network of red squirrel protection, with landowners having the potential to provide five times more trapping effort (coverage). Encouraging this wide base of support for project delivery has always been an aspiration with Scottish Land and Estates, one of the founding project… […]
…the Gatehouse Gala event at Cream o’Galloway, the Stewartry Show in Castle Douglas and the Kirkcudbright Country Fair. Community involvement, and indeed ownership, of this campaign is the only answer for now. Peter accepts a £500 cheque for Gatehouse Squirrel Group, thanks to Cream o’Galloway’s container recycling scheme For more information on getting involved with Gatehouse Squirrel Group, email gatehousesquirrels@gmail.com… […]
…I’ll be able to contribute something towards the plight of the red squirrels even in just a small way. One of these ways is by reporting my squirrel sightings to an online database used by the SSRS to monitor the squirrel populations through citizen science. It’s a very useful tool and fun too. But I’m not just nuts about squirrels…. […]
