The future is bright in north east Scotland

…squirrels for decades. For example, this year we caught our first red squirrel in a trap in Seaton Park after over seven years of grey squirrel control (red squirrels are of course released, unharmed). Also within the last year we’ve had reports from the public showing red squirrels reappearing along the river Dee, the river Don, around the University of… […]

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Easter Funday in Wonderland

Original Author: Paul McDonald   Paul McDonald (Project Officer for Argyll & the Trossachs), Lorna Hutchison and Samira Takla (SSRS Volunteers) spend Easter Sunday engaging visitors at The Lodge Visitor Centre, Aberfoyle.   This Easter Sunday saw a magical transformation in at The Lodge Visitor Centre in Aberfoyle. The Forestry Commission Scotland and RSPB had organised a series of family… […]

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The Spring Moult

…These reports tend to come in from lucky folks who have red squirrels regularly visiting their garden, and are usually followed up by reports a few weeks later that all is well and the red squirrel are looking fab in their summer coats. If you are feeding squirrels in your garden then hygiene is of paramount importance. As for bird… […]

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Knitadermy

…as a base, and then shape the knitting to cover. I try and make the knitadermy animals look as realistic as possible with the aid of many photographs… No animals are harmed during this process!’   Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrel would like to thank Rosy and the Deeside Knitwits for all their hard work, dedication, and help not only with… […]

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How many red squirrels are there in Scotland?

…know how many red squirrels there are in Scotland? Not really. Counting the actual number of red squirrels is a near impossible task, and like most small animals their numbers will vary naturally from year to year depending on factors like food availability and weather. It’s been estimated that there could be around 120,000 red squirrels left in Scotland, 75%… […]

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The Story of Rusty the Red

Original Author: Steve Willis The inspiring story of two very dedicated humans and one very lucky red squirrel kitten. Rescuing and rehabilitating any wild animal is fraught with challenges and red squirrels are no exception. Here is the tail, sorry tale, of Rusty the Red!   Here is an account of the rehabilitation of a red squirrel kitten by two… […]

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Spotting squirrelpox: new sightings across Dumfries and Galloway

…between Palnackie and Carsethorn back in May. Squirrelpox is a fatal disease which red squirrels have no immunity against. The symptoms are very distinctive, with lesions and sores forming around the squirrel’s face preventing them from being able to eat and drink as well as limiting their mobility. Although squirrelpox is commonly spread by grey squirrels that carry the disease… […]

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News: Over £1M in new funding awarded to aid red squirrel recovery in Scotland

…Our hopes and aims for next phase are ambitious, but ones that we absolutely can realise with increased landscape-scale investment from partners, stakeholders, landowners, and local community involvement. We are incredibly grateful to everyone already involved in red squirrel conservation across the country and look forward to bringing more people and organisations onboard with this important and vital work.” Dr… […]

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Survey Season Approaches….

…access the food they will visit again and again. What the squirrels don’t realise is that each time they visit they brush against a sticky bit of plastic inside the lid which collects a small amount of hair from the squirrel. A trail camera captures the moment a red squirrel enters a feeder box. As it does, the animal will… […]

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Gala Men’s Shed take on the feeder box challenge!

  Gala Men’s Shed, part of the Men’s Shed network across Scotland, put their impressive array of tools and woodworking skills to good use in aid of red squirrel conservation.   A small team of Shed members made a whopping 83 feeder boxes for Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels’ annual squirrel survey. Saws and screws at the ready, they turned all… […]

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This Year's Sightings