Call to report red squirrel sightings in Dumfries & Galloway

…fallen drastically to just 120,000. This is largely due to the spread of the grey squirrel, which was first introduced to Britain from North America in the mid-19th Century. Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels is a partnership project led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and made possible thanks to National Lottery players and the Dumfries & Galloway LEADER 2014 – 2020… […]

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Call for Scots to become a nation of squirrel spotters this Red Squirrel Week

…red and grey squirrel sightings or by getting involved with a local volunteer group. Over 5000 squirrel sightings were reported in 2017 but with the launch of their new Hub, SSRS is this year looking to hit the 10,000 target. Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels Project Manager, Dr Mel Tonkin said: “For Red Squirrel Week, we’re launching a brand new website… […]

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Southern Uplands Partnership Guest Blog: Funding Success for Red Squirrel Recovery Network

…over £250,000 are assessed in two rounds. Red Squirrel recovery Network has initially been granted round one development funding of £158,600 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, allowing it to progress with its plans. Detailed proposals are then considered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund at second round, where a final decision is made on the full funding award. As… […]

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Get Involved

…Choose A Specific Appeal to ensure your donation goes toward protecting Scotland’s red squirrels. Make a donation Adopt a red squirrel Scotland’s native red squirrels need your help! Only around 120,000 remain here in the wild, and without urgent action they could be lost forever. By adopting one you will be helping to secure the future of this beautiful and… […]

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

…red squirrels.Scotland is home to just 120,000 red squirrels, three quarters of the UK population. The main threat to native squirrels comes from competition with invasive non-native grey squirrels and the spread of the deadly squirrelpox virus.   Dr Mel Tonkin, Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels Project Manager said: “Our work since 2009 shows that through targeted control of grey squirrels… […]

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Community action in Galloway

…squirrel conservationists of the future! Citizen Science Whilst we are still waiting to see a pine marten on our bird table at home, we do enjoy living with our very visible reds. I have set up a census (currently of around 20 gardens) to track the local population trend. Each month I collect two numbers from each participant: the greatest… […]

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A lucky escape!

Original Author: Steve Willis   Sometimes trail cameras pick up some pretty unusual animal behaviour…   The SSRS team use trail cameras for much of our survey work. As these amazing devices have come down in price their popularity has risen and risen. And for good reason too – they are unobtrusive ways to observe your local wildlife. Even setting… […]

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

…on a record-breaking turnout in 2020, last year’s 2021 Great Scottish Squirrel Survey saw 1549 squirrel sightings reported in just one week by nearly 1100 people across Scotland. Sightings help project staff to create a picture of the situation on the ground, and directly contribute to red squirrel conservation action. Since the end of the project’s spring surveys in 2020,… […]

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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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Suspected squirrelpox cases on the Solway Coast

…any wildlife feeding stations. We also ask that people across the Solway Coast please ensure that all garden feeding stations are regularly cleaned with an anti-viral solution such as Virkon S, which is available to purchase online in tablet and powder form. If you see a sick red squirrel, either in your garden, or while outdoors exercising, please contact squirrels@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk…. […]

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This Year's Sightings