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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Great Scottish Squirrel Survey

…Let’s make this year’s survey even greater! Report your sighting Kids worksheet     Find out more Why do we need this data? SSRS has been collecting public squirrel sightings since 2010, last year we received a massive 10,484 sightings with the help of the Great Scottish Squirrel Survey, giving us our third highest recording year to date. The data… […]

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

Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels is calling on the public to take part in the nationwide Great Scottish Squirrel Survey between 20-26 September (National Red Squirrel Week). Now in its third year, the survey is needed more than ever due to the impact of Covid-19. Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS) is a partnership project led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, which… […]

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Suspected squirrelpox cases on the Solway Coast

…unwell and the lesions make it difficult to eat or drink, climb or walk, in almost all cases leading to death within two weeks. A sick red squirrel was retrieved by the SSPCA from Auchencairn © L. Read   If you live within the area and witness any sick red squirrels or grey squirrels in your garden, please immediately remove… […]

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Looking for signs of squirrels this September

…adventures over the next few days . Where & When You could plan a trip almost anywhere in Scotland, or even just outside your front door. There are a number of well-known squirrel stomping grounds you could visit; however, it is equally important to consider an area that could be an ideal squirrel habitat where few sightings have been recorded… […]

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Get the big picture – summer survey results 2013

…in the past. Photograph: Steve Gardner. To the 130 or so volunteers that helped with the surveys, we say a huge thank you for the magnificent effort; we could not have covered the huge survey area without you. Full results of these surveys will be published on the website when they are ready. Also under way is our second year… […]

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The road to recovery

…future generations will still have the chance to see this engaging species in the wild. We now have robust evidence that our strategy is working – the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project is doing just what it says on the tin. We are shortly due to publish a detailed report which details significant progress towards conserving red squirrel populations in… […]

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Hawick, Selkirk and Denholm Red Squirrel Network – One Year Later

…provides us with the opportunity to attract new members/social media follows and fundraise for the group, but it also provides us with the opportunity to interact with and inform other attendees about the wider work of Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels. Attending such events requires a fair bit of time of effort and we welcome any help from members (new or… […]

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Celebrating a red squirrel champion

…use of the skills many groups already have. The Chart gives groups full visibility of where expertise lies as well as who is asking for help on what. As the Forum covers such a wide area, even before Covid-19 struck, get-togethers were difficult, as well as being time consuming and expensive. The current restrictions prompted a digital response and Peter… […]

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News: Help stop the spread of grey squirrels in the Mearns

…through competition for resources. Most worryingly they could also potentially bring the deadly squirrelpox virus, which isn’t currently present in Aberdeenshire, with them. This virus doesn’t harm grey squirrels but it is deadly for reds. It would be devastating for Scotland’s squirrels if squirrelpox is allowed to spread into the north of the country. “There are a number of ways… […]

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This Year's Sightings