…Aspirations (hence the campfire, axes and knives), which is where I came in. I taught them about squirrel ecology, explained why the Grey Squirrel is a threat, destroyed squirrel myths (nope, they don’t hibernate!), asked them to search for signs of squirrel activity (cone debris, scratch marks etc.), to build dreys (squirrel nests), and encouraged them to look for squirrels… […]
…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… […]
…introduced to Aberdeen in the 1970s, rapidly spreading throughout the city and into surrounding Aberdeenshire. Through competition for food and living space they caused the region’s native red squirrel populations to decline rapidly, completely replacing them across the city. Years of grey squirrel control work carried out by Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels has already removed grey squirrels from much of… […]
…city and its outskirts. In the South of Scotland a mix of the two species remain, with volunteer groups working hard to lower grey densities in the region. Grey squirrels were introduced to Scotland in Victorian times and have since replaced the native red squirrel in many parts of the country. They out-compete reds for food and living space and… […]
…have come together to protect their local red squirrels, with support from the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project. While the south of Scotland is home to healthy populations of red squirrels, they are seriously threatened by the spread of grey squirrels. Grey squirrels are an invasive species that out-competes native red squirrels for food and living space. They can also… […]
…preparation for the winter months, digging food away in a safe space for a later date. Remember to keep an eye out for any buds on trees – this could be a sign that a squirrel (or other animal) has beat you to the fruit first. Additional useful links If you just can’t learn enough about Britain’s native and non-native… […]
…woodland habitat. Grey squirrel contraception is the subject of research, as is the development of a squirrelpox vaccine. However, these are a long way from being ready for use and may be insufficient on their own. There are suggestions that in the future Scotland’s recovering pine martens could also play a role in controlling grey squirrel numbers in some areas…. […]
…out-compete reds for food and living space and can also carry squirrelpox, a virus that doesn’t harm them but is fatal to reds. Squirrel sightings, which are collected year-round, help the National Lottery-funded SSRS project to understand how the distribution of each species is changing over time, and can also alert staff to situations where grey squirrels are posing an… […]
…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,… […]
…times and have since replaced our native red squirrel in many parts of the country. They out-compete reds for food and living space and can also carry squirrelpox, a virus that doesn’t harm them but is fatal to reds. Squirrel sightings, which are collected year-round, help the SSRS project to understand how the distribution of each species is changing over… […]
