…and report their sightings in their day-to-day lives to help our project. Although we didn’t see a squirrel while at Green Aspirations, we did see plenty of evidence so maybe, just maybe there are squirrels still there and we didn’t scare them off with all the noise! They (the school pupils) seemed to really enjoy learning about squirrels, quoting me… […]
…Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels summarises the methods, achievements, challenges, and crucial lessons learned over the five-year nation-wide endeavour, and outlines recommendations to ensure a legacy of continued successful red squirrel conservation in Scotland into the future. The project aimed to find sustainable and affordable ways by which to halt the decline, and enable reestablishment in some areas, of Scotland’s red… […]
…sighting is one small step for a red squirrel, but one giant leap for red squirrel recovery in North East Scotland.” Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels is a partnership project led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and made possible thanks to National Lottery players. With the help of a network of volunteers, the project is working to reduce grey squirrel numbers… […]
…public to spot and record all grey and red squirrels, a total of 1334 people took part, reporting just under 2000 red and grey squirrel sightings across the country, almost 2.5 times as many as were reporting during the 2022 survey. These sightings provide invaluable data for conservationists and scientists working on the ground to protect the endangered native red… […]
…compared to 2019. “Although necessary, the decision to control grey squirrels is not an easy one to make so we were delighted when Forestry and Land Scotland asked if we would consider saving our grey squirrel carcasses for the recently arrived juvenile eagles.” The pioneering South of Scotland Golden Eagle Project aims to reinforce the small, isolated and vulnerable population… […]
…of habitat the squirrel was spotted in. Having a basic knowledge of tree identification comes in helpful here and sharing this allows us to investigate which habitats squirrels appear to be thriving in. Spotting the difference between a coniferous and deciduous tree in autumn is simple. Deciduous trees with broad leaves, change colour and often lose their leaves at this… […]
…Scotland’s currently widespread red squirrel and help them thrive in as much of their original range as possible. We believe this is both feasible and desirable for maintaining Scotland’s natural heritage and biodiversity. Captive breeding programmes are very expensive, laborious and unnecessary while we still have red squirrels spread widely across Scotland. Red squirrels do not breed readily in captive… […]
…the annual Great Scottish Squirrel Survey has become the most important event for getting a snapshot of the distributions of both red and grey squirrels for comparisons year to year. Programme Manager Nicole Still said: “The public play an essential role in our work and red squirrel conservation across Scotland. The sightings data collected gives us valuable insights on how… […]
…trapping may be squirrels, we also get plenty of birds, which is great as it keeps me on my toes with bird ID! Jays and great spotted woodpeckers are definitely the most common bird species detected on our cameras and they’re surprisingly expressive. Apart from these two species, I’ve recorded at least (carrion) crows, blue-, cole-, and great tits, wrens,… […]
…unusual year with an increase in people spending time in the Scottish outdoors, we would love the public to once again head outside and help us increase our sightings to improve our understanding of Scotland’s squirrel populations”. Conservation Officer for Tayside Susie McNaughton said: “With ample nature food sources available and leaves falling, autumn is an ideal time to spot… […]
