All things invasive with the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative

…staggering 94% decline in native water vole populations? The American skunk-cabbage plant does actually smell as bad as a skunk….   White butterburr was imported as a garden ornamental from mainland Europe and SW Asia and escaped into the wild.   What is an Invasive Species? There are around 2,000 non-native plants and animals in the UK, these non-native species… […]

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Welcoming volunteers back into the field this Volunteers’ Week

…December volunteer announcement, grey squirrel control volunteers can continue their work in the field   We ask those looking to return to volunteering, to be proactive in monitoring changing Covid-19 guidelines in your local authority area, by regularly visiting https://www.gov.scot/coronavirus-covid-19/. Prior to commencing any new activities, a Covid-19 Risk Assessment will need to be reviewed. This can be accessed through… […]

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News: The Great Scottish Squirrel Survey returns in an important year for squirrel sightings

National Lottery-funded project understand how the distribution of each species is changing over time, and can also alert staff to situations where grey squirrels are posing an immediate threat to the local red population. The Great Scottish Squirrel Survey week will also feature a programme of online and outdoor events across the country. More information can be found here.  … […]

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Great Scottish Squirrel Survey

…the situation. What makes the Great Scottish Squirrel Survey so great is that anyone can take part from anywhere in Scotland. Areas of known squirrel territory are equally important as those where few squirrels have been seen before. You can view all our previous sightings records here. Last year over 650 people reported 790 squirrel sightings in just one week…. […]

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Game-changing grant awarded to South Scotland volunteers

…working to monitor, promote and protect red squirrels where they live. Field equipment has a vital role to play in volunteer activities, and a recent grant of £14,120 awarded by the Red Squirrel Survival Trust to the Forum will help provide groups with game-changing tools including 10 thermal imaging scopes and 120 trail cameras. Both thermal imagers and trail cameras… […]

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Spotting the elusive Scottish Red Squirrel

…our website! (www.scottishsquirrels.org.uk/squirrel-sightings) If you’re lucky enough to see a red or grey squirrel, dead or alive, we want to know about it!! At Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels there are only a small number of staff covering very large areas and so we can’t be everywhere all the time. We need your help to know where the squirrels are so… […]

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See you in a few years…

…colleagues and working in one of the most accessible scenic areas in Scotland: Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park (www.lochlomond-trossachs.org). Along with all of my red squirrel friends (and grey squirrel “enemies”…), I have seen an amazing variety of wildlife, including: otters, pine marten, red deer, roe deer, goosanders, ravens, and even a slow worm in this poor summer…. […]

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Cycling for Squirrels

…motivating to have a purpose to the hard work and sore legs (Peat Inn is 200 metres above sea level – ooyah!) and if any SSRS supporters would like to push me on I have started a Just Giving page at https://www.justgiving.com/Kensredsquirrelcycle where you can donate. If you do, I’ll dedicate a mile to you on my way to Edinburgh…. […]

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Major boost for Scotland’s red squirrels thanks to National Lottery funding

…Lottery players, HLF invests money to help people across the UK explore, enjoy and protect the heritage they care about – from the archaeology under our feet to the historic parks and buildings we love, from precious memories and collections to rare wildlife. Since 1994, they have invested over £800m in more than 3800 heritage projects across Scotland. Visit www.hlf.org.uk…. […]

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This Year's Sightings