…team and she also works closely with the Tayside Conservation Officer and Grey Squirrel Officers. Contact: ymcmurchie @scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk Katie Berry: Communications & Engagement Officer Katie began her squirrel journey as the SSRS Administrator, joining the team in March 2020, just before the first covid-19 lockdown. In November 2022 she became the Communications & Engagement Officer for the team,… […]
…table top. Broadleaved species such as oak and beech have been less productive. It appears the cold, wet summer may have taken it’s toll. Fruit bearing plants like the bramble have had a good year which will have helped fill in this seed gap with many plants still bursting with ripe fruit. It’s been an odd year with a late… […]
A record number of squirrel sightings were reported by the public during September’s Great Scottish Squirrel Survey. 2,100 people – three times the number who took part in the first national survey in 2019 – logged over 3,000 sightings of red and grey squirrels, creating a Scotland-wide snapshot and providing valuable data for conservationists. The Great Scottish Squirrel… […]
In December over 100 SSRS volunteers, landowners and other supporters joined us online to celebrate the end of the project’s ‘Developing Community Action‘ phase. The two-day Knowledge Fair featured presentations and panel discussions on all that the project has achieved over the past five years. It was also an opportunity to learn more about the red squirrel conservation work… […]
…is also helping to ensure continued Government funding for red squirrel conservation. Visit website Forestry and Land Scotland Forestry and Land Scotland is the Scottish Government agency responsible for managing Scotland’s national forests and land in a way that supports and enables economically sustainable forestry; conserves and enhances the environment; delivers benefits for people and nature; and supports Scottish Ministers… […]
…still as widespread as last year. Conversely – from our results so far – grey squirrel presence seems well down on last year; however, it is still too early to draw firm conclusions. In the south of Scotland, more than 100 new tetrads (or 2km square survey areas) were set up and surveyed for the first time this spring. Initial… […]
…Hughes of the Scottish Wildlife Trust and the Earl of Southesk. Chief Executive of the Scottish Wildlife Trust, Simon Milne, said: “Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels is an excellent example of how conservation bodies and landowners can – and indeed must – work together to safeguard our wildlife. “The Earl of Southesk and over 200 landowners and their teams are putting… […]
There are over 200 species of squirrel across the globe, and Scotland is home to just two of them, the Eurasian Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and the Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). Grey squirrels, which are native to North America, were introduced to Britain in 1876, before which it is estimated that there were around 3.5 million native red squirrels…. […]
…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… […]
Saving Scotland Red Squirrels: Developing Community Action ran from 2017 – 2022. One of the aims of this phase of the project was to set up and equip a network of volunteer groups in South Scotland capable of independently taking forward red squirrel conservation in the region. As such, in April 2022, 13 of the Red Squirrel Networks in… […]
