All things invasive with the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative

…adapted to their new environment, growing faster and out-competing our native species for space and food/nutrients. E.g. invasive plants out-compete our native wildflowers Predation; a predatory invasive species can have a significant effect on reducing the population of a native species. E.g. the significant impact on water voles by American mink predation Hybridisation; invasive species can interbreed with native species,… […]

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A lucky escape!

…to see this- watch it right to the end! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZXZfnzXA4E This footage was caught just after 6am in early May. It clearly shows a tawny owl swoop in and land on the tree just above where the squirrel was. Amazing! Now what we don’t know is what the tawny owl was up to. It may well have been sizing up… […]

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Great Scottish Squirrel Survey

The Great Scottish Squirrel Survey This Red Squirrel Week we’re calling on people all over Scotland to get outdoors, explore nature and be on the lookout for tufted ears and bushy tails for the return of the Great Scottish Squirrel Survey. Report your sightings of both red and grey squirrels between 2-8 October to provide us with a snapshot of… […]

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News: Get squirrel spotting during the Great Scottish Squirrel Survey next week!

…and means that everyone can have a part to play in conserving our iconic red squirrel.” Eileen Stuart, Deputy Director of Nature and Climate Change at NatureScot, said: “With invasive non-native species posing one of the biggest threats to our biodiversity, NatureScot is pleased to support the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrel project, which is successfully working to help protect the… […]

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Game-changing grant awarded to South Scotland volunteers

…sustain their surveying and monitoring efforts well into the future.   Find out more about the Red Squirrel Survival Trust, the Red Squirrel Forum for South Scotland and what this grant means for conservation within the area at https://www.rsst.org.uk/blog/2020/9/16/scottish-borders-groups-bank-national-funding . Or visit the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels Network Directory to find out more about red squirrel volunteer groups near you…. […]

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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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This Year's Sightings