…the situation. What makes the Great Scottish Squirrel Survey so great is that anyone can take part from anywhere in Scotland. Areas of known squirrel territory are equally important as those where few squirrels have been seen before. You can view all our previous sightings records here. Last year over 650 people reported 790 squirrel sightings in just one week…. […]
…is working in priority areas across Scotland to protect red squirrels from the spread of the non-native grey squirrel. Gill Hatcher, SSRS Communications & Engagement Officer said: “We are asking everyone in Scotland to go out and enjoy the outdoors during Red Squirrel Week, look out for both red and grey squirrels and add your sightings to our online map… […]
Original Author: Lorna Hutchison Most people seem to think that taking school children into the woods getting them to cook lunch on an open campfire, then giving them axes and knives is crazy. But not at Green Aspirations. Over the last few weeks of the summer holidays I joined the team at Green Aspirations and school pupils from all… […]
…like much, but locating and intercepting the very early grey squirrel colonisers is a difficult job – needles and haystacks being an apt analogy – and your reports enable us to narrow our search. Although the risk of grey squirrel presence in the area has been reduced, we of course do not know how many grey squirrels remain in Pitlochry,… […]
…because they thrive in the new environment into which they’ve been introduced and, in doing so, impact on and disrupt the delicate balance of that natural ecosystem. Their impacts can be large and obvious, like the presence of a stand of Japanese knotweed, or subtle like the reduction in invertebrate biodiversity in a river when the banks are dominated by… […]
…dreys. Unlike summer dreys, which are open platforms, similar in design to birds’ nests, winter dreys are broadly spherical and enclosed, but for a small entrance hole. They are constructed of interwoven twigs on the outside with softer furnishings of moss and dried leaves to give some home comforts on the inside. New dreys are usually built, and existing ones… […]
…snow makes red squirrel footprints (and those of many other animals) clearly visible, and will give you a good idea of who is out and about, even overnight. Light, fresh snow is best for tracking, rather than hard-packed, icy surfaces. Look for squirrel footprints around your feeders or at the base of trees where they have been busy digging up… […]
…potential for wide range trapping at new sites. However, land manager control has proven to create an effective network of red squirrel protection, with landowners having the potential to provide five times more trapping effort (coverage). Encouraging this wide base of support for project delivery has always been an aspiration with Scottish Land and Estates, one of the founding project… […]
…freely giving their time to protect red squirrels. They work with passion, enthusiasm and commitment, and have a massive amount of knowledge which they willingly share. For me, this demonstrates a key point for learning and how we can further our knowledge and skills base, even in an area which is new to us. Engaging children in red squirrel conservation… […]
…trail. Come and see our creations between 12-25 October. The knitadermy started when Rose Toney of the NE Scotland Biodiversity Network spotted Elmer on BBCs Winterwatch and asked if I could knit a pine marten to use as an educational aid… The request for squirrels for SSRS then followed! Each animal is unique. I use a taxidermy form… […]
