…for the project, which has been continuously working to reduce grey squirrel numbers in the city since 2009. We are beginning to see red squirrel populations establishing themselves in key areas, such as Seaton Park and around the James Hutton Institute, which is enabling individuals to move even further into urban areas. This shows that the control of grey squirrels… […]
…Other big conifer trees are great too, especially Scots pine, although these species will need to be fully mature (and therefore BIG) before they produce seed and cones. Providing wild food is best for all wildlife but you can also provide supplementary food for squirrels. It is best to only provide food for squirrels where only red squirrels are present…. […]
…feeder boxes in two survey tetrads (two by two kilomtere squares). Peanuts make great bait because they attract everything, including squirrels and pine martens, so they’re perfect for squirrel presence/absence surveys like this one. There are around 300 of these tetrads covering potential squirrel habitat all over Scotland and together the results will show where there are no squirrels, where… […]
…of our volunteers is of utmost importance to us. If you are considering returning to priority outdoor voluntary work for the project, we ask that you also please familiarise yourself with the current government guidance for Scotland, as well as the government-published guidance for working safely in the forestry sector and environment / conservation sector. Additional health and safety advice… […]
…very alarming figure! However, our survey isn’t designed to count squirrel numbers, it’s designed to help us understand how red and grey squirrel distribution is changing over time. In the report, 59 was quoted as the number of locations in the south of Scotland that were surveyed in both 2017 and 2018, and could therefore be compared. The figure isn’t… […]
…regards to releasing Rusty back into the wild – they were clear he was never to be a pet or to be kept in captivity. They wanted to make sure he would be ready to live free. Over the course of their time with Rusty he grew bigger and stronger, and soon it was time for them to hand Rusty… […]
…not clinging to a weather writer clipboard trying to make sense of the soggy piece of paper that lies within. I have been undertaking food abundance surveys across the Loch Lomond and Trossachs National Park to understand exactly how successful autumn crops have been in the area. Assessing tree crops can help predict how red and grey squirrels will cope… […]
…for the squirrelpox virus and taking action to stop it reaching red populations. To achieve this we need people to submit their sightings around Stirling, so we know how close the populations are to each other in this region. ©Leigh Claxton Moving forward we are also keen to hear from anyone who would be happy to help us control grey… […]
…the dreys will be essential to surviving winter. Squirrels will emerge from the drey at first light and head out to seek out food. Feeding activity peaks mid morning and then again later in early afternoon. Then, as the light begins to fade, the red squirrels make their way back to their favoured drey to settle down for the night…. […]
…That way we can make comparisons from one year to the next. This survey should reflect the changing fortunes of reds and greys in any given area. There are a LOT of woodlands to survey, so it’s simplest to break the landscape down into 2km by 2km squares- we call these tetrads. Within each tetrad we place four feeder boxes… […]
