Help the Solway Forests with your best red squirrel snaps

…there are also many privately-owned woodland plots in between. Despite the threat from grey squirrels the Solway forests are still home to healthy red squirrel populations, attracting tourists and enchanting residents alike. As a result, many locals understand the need to take action to protect them from further decline. The main frontline for grey squirrel incursion in the area is… […]

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Spotting the elusive Scottish Red Squirrel

…chances of seeing not only red squirrels but also a range of other timid species such as deer, hedgehogs, beavers, badgers, pine marten, owls, jays, woodpeckers etc, depending of course on where you go and the time of day or year that you visit. Squirrels are less active during the winter but they do not hibernate so this means that… […]

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New Frontiers for Volunteers

…as a field technician and research assistant studying rodent populations and testing two methods for controlling the plague (Yersinia pestis) a.k.a. Black Death. There I gained a lot of hands-on experience trapping and handling rats, mice, squirrels and chipmunks, as well as the odd striped and spotted skunks (striped skunk below). Next, after 2 and a half years away I… […]

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How can mathematical modelling help save red squirrels in Scotland?

…Natural Heritage and Forestry Commission Scotland conservation efforts. Our knowledge of squirrel reproduction, dispersal, mortality, competition and squirrelpox transmission allows us to create mathematical models that simulate how red and grey squirrel populations change over time. The models can be combined with satellite maps of forest and squirrel habitat distribution to determine, for example, the spread and impact of squirrelpox… […]

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This Year's Sightings