…surveys per year, per volunteer, which is no small undertaking! In 2022 the north east team carried out more than 7000 feeder checks, the majority of which were carried out by volunteers. These volunteer surveys are at the very core of our operations at this stage in the eradication project, and the north east team would not have made the… […]
…is responsible for the day-to-day management of the project. Visit website NatureScot NatureScot is the Scottish Government’s statutory advisor on the conservation, enhancement, enjoyment, understanding and sustainable use of our natural heritage. NatureScot has taken a leading role in red squirrel conservation since the species was first identified as a priority species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. NatureScot is… […]
…the opportunity to get to know their local patch of nature. However, clearly many people have caught the squirrel-spotting bug as we have still received more than 13,000 sightings to our website so far this year. Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in our citizen science campaign, and to all the organisations, community groups and volunteers… […]
…know how many red squirrels there are in Scotland? Not really. Counting the actual number of red squirrels is a near impossible task, and like most small animals their numbers will vary naturally from year to year depending on factors like food availability and weather. It’s been estimated that there could be around 120,000 red squirrels left in Scotland, 75%… […]
…fallen drastically to just 120,000. This is largely due to the spread of the grey squirrel, which was first introduced to Britain from North America in the mid-19th Century. Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels is a partnership project led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and made possible thanks to National Lottery players and the Dumfries & Galloway LEADER 2014 – 2020… […]
…if these beautiful animals were to settle in the institute grounds and become a regular sight.” While three quarters of the UK’s red squirrels are found in Scotland, their numbers have fallen drastically to just 120,000. This is largely due to the spread of the grey squirrel, which was first introduced to Britain from North America in the mid-19th Century…. […]
…We have several vacancies with closing dates in April, apply via the Scottish Wildlife Trust here. Whilst we are delighted to have had over £1.1m pledged to the project so far, we are still urgently in need of a final £49,000 to fulfil our aims. You can help us by donating to the Scottish Wildlife Trust appeal today. DONATE … […]
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…. […]
…its aims and how new volunteers can become involved. In this time, we have also appeared in the local newspaper: Gateway (circulation 66,000) around the Wigtown and Newton Stewart area. On the monitoring side of our group; a trusty band of volunteers (including myself) have been out taking hair samples from feeder boxes to ascertain the numbers of Reds and… […]
…pine forests of the Highlands. Under threat Red squirrel populations have seriously declined, with only around 120,000 remaining in Scotland today. In some places they have not been seen for many years. The greatest threat to the red squirrel’s future in Scotland is the invasive non-native grey squirrel. Larger and more robust, grey squirrels out-compete red squirrels for food… […]
