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

…places, our natural environment and fragile species, to the languages and cultural traditions that celebrate who we are. We are passionate about heritage and committed to driving innovation and collaboration to make a positive difference to people’s lives today, while leaving a lasting legacy for future generations to enjoy. Follow @HeritageFundUK on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram and use #NationalLotteryHeritageFund www.heritagefund.org.uk […]

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

…squirrels – which account for around 75% of the total UK population. Red squirrels are a protected species, but for many years have experienced declines due to the invasive non-native grey squirrel introduced to Britain from North America in Victorian times. Grey squirrels out-compete reds for food and living space and have rapidly replaced native red squirrel populations across most… […]

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Studying the life of the urban red squirrel

…radio-tracking, a range of other data have been collected. These have included: monitoring the locations and causes of death in the population through post-mortems; determining habitat quality and availability through seed crop surveys and computer-based mapping; and evaluating the availability and impact of supplemental feeding via a public survey. A radio-collared red squirrel in a handling cone, which helps to… […]

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For nature, go native

…thanks to legal protections and reintroduction schemes they are gradually making a comeback across the country. Despite their appetite for squirrel, previous research has shown that the return of pine martens spells good news for our native reds, as their presence will reduce the number of grey squirrels in an area and enable the red population to recover. Unlike the… […]

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

…project’s spring surveys in both 2020 and 2021. These annual systematic surveys, which used baited squirrel-hair sampling boxes at over 200 specific locations, provided robust distribution data for both red and grey squirrels that was invaluable for comparing the fortunes of squirrels from year-to-year. Project Manager Dr Mel Tonkin said: “Without the spring survey data, we need the help of… […]

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News: First death of red squirrel from squirrelpox virus confirmed north of Scotland’s Central Belt

…concerned about this latest news and are asking the local community in Dunfermline to take immediate action and protect red squirrels by taking in all garden and woodland wildlife feeders for the next month, as these can contribute to the spread of the disease from greys to reds and between reds once infected. We are also asking for everybody to… […]

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About Us

…in key strategic areas. In your area Our partners and funders     Developing community action In 2017, Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels began a new phase called ‘Developing Community Action’. Alongside vital conservation work, the project focused on engaging with local communities and individuals, inspiring them to take action to protect red squirrels where they live. This phase ended in… […]

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

…Scotland for Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels said: “Grey squirrels moving north from Angus into Aberdeenshire are a serious threat to local red squirrels, as well as the core Scottish population in the Highlands. The recent reports from the Mearns are worrying and we need help to stop the spread of grey squirrels in the area. “Grey squirrels threaten red squirrels… […]

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

…vulnerable time for red squirrels, as they prepare for the upcoming mating season and increase contact with one another. We have deployed our emergency squirrelpox outbreak response measures, and as such locals can expect to see an increased staff and volunteer presence in the area as we increase grey control efforts in the region in a bid to stem the… […]

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One small step for Perthshire’s reds

efforts to remove the threat.   It has been observed throughout the UK that when grey squirrels move into an area, the local red squirrel population is gradually replaced due to competition for resources such as food and living space. Although grey squirrels occur in Dunkeld, this is generally the northern limit of their range in Perthshire. Sightings of greys… […]

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This Year's Sightings