Black and white or shades of grey?

…of which are very likely to have evolved from the dominant red squirrel). The red squirrel is thought to have crossed the Bering Land Bridge approximately seven million years ago. In North America, the eastern grey squirrel had to constantly adapt and evolve in order to compete with many rival squirrel species, whereas the Eurasian red squirrel evolved with no… […]

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News: Suspected squirrelpox outbreak near Lockerbie threatens local red squirrel population

…various areas over the years, targeted grey squirrel control work has ensured that the local red squirrel populations have successfully recovered. Research published by Professor Andy White and colleagues has shown that when grey squirrel numbers are kept low, red squirrels are given enough time to repopulate an area after suffering a major decline. Nicole Still, Programme Manager for Saving… […]

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Privacy Policy

…you (e.g. about any health issues that may impact your volunteering work). d) To process your squirrel data When you report a squirrel sighting on the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels website, we collect your personal data so that we can verify the sighting and add it to the Scottish Squirrel Database, which is an open access database managed by the… […]

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News: Report details red squirrel conservation successes, with key recommendations for the iconic species’ long-term future in Scotland.

…were operating successfully South Scotland, and by the fourth year the number of grey squirrels controlled by volunteers was greater than the number controlled by staff. In the Central Lowlands 46 landowners took part in grey squirrel control work via the Scottish Forestry’s Forest Grant Scheme, and in the North East the geographically isolated grey squirrel population was significantly reduced… […]

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South Scotland

…we have identified ten Priority Areas for Red squirrel Conservation (PARCs), where previous grey squirrel control work has shown to have kept red squirrel numbers stable. Local communities are key to protecting the PARCs, and ensuring that red squirrels north of the central belt remain unthreatened by the squirrelpox virus. As part of our 2017-22 ‘Developing Community Action’ strategy, we… […]

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A lucky escape!

…would be reported, simply out of interest. There can’t be that much overlap between the strictly diurnal (active in daylight) red squirrel and the generally nocturnal tawny owl. Perhaps this owl was feeding young and was desperate for food! Anyway, the red squirrel lived to fight another day which is good, and we wish that feisty tawny owl well too!… […]

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All things invasive with the Scottish Invasive Species Initiative

…are species that have been transported here from their native range with the assistance of humans (either deliberately or accidently). Of these only 10-15% go on to cause problems, having a negative impact on our environment, our economy or our way of life – these are termed as invasive non-native species.   Why are invasives problematic? Invasive species are problematic… […]

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This Year's Sightings