Original Author: Lorna Hutchison Lorna Hutchison, Volunteer Project Assistant for Argyll and the Trossachs, tells us about her role in this season’s squirrel monitoring. My role as a volunteer for SSRS is pretty varied. One of the tasks involves me taking four kilograms of peanuts to Glengoyne and Loch Lubnaig once every two weeks and distributing them amongst eight… […]
…have a small army of over 50 local contacts on the lookout for both species, with more people asking to join in, and tourists doing their bit as well. When doing our hopper surveys in 2015, we were in a position to detect greys, but completely failed to do so. Even though there were sightings during our survey periods, no… […]
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… […]
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… […]
…squirrels is now largely contained within Aberdeen’s city limits and red squirrels are increasingly seen in the city’s parks and gardens. Grey squirrels spreading from Angus into Aberdeenshire not only threatens the local red squirrel population in the Mearns but it could also jeopardise the project’s success in Aberdeen. The introduction of squirrelpox into North East Scotland could be devastating… […]
…2015-2025. Robyn Stewart, Species and Habitats Officer & Red Squirrel Species Lead at RSPB Scotland, tells us more: The current Scottish Strategy for Red Squirrel Conservation has been primarily delivered through the partnership project Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels – initially though its Developing Community Action phase (2017 – 2022) and more recently in its Transition phase (2022-2024). With… […]
…to do its work and dry as the residues are all broken down to safe end products within 15-30 minutes. Disposal of any remaining material is easy, as it can be safely poured down drains or over gravel without any problems after the solution has been deactivated (one week after the mixture has been made). During a squirrelpox… […]
Laura Preston, the new Scottish Borders Conservation Officer for Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels, is calling on locals to help the project by reporting sightings of both red and grey squirrels online. Laura joins Community Engagement Officer Alexa Seagrave in the project’s new regional office near Newton St Boswells. They will be working with landowners and volunteers to protect… […]
…our project began ten years ago, although we knew they weren’t too far away. “It’s an encouraging sign that the work we’re doing to protect red squirrels in Stirlingshire with support from National Lottery players is having a positive impact. Plean is just the latest example of a town where people are reporting seeing red squirrels return after years of… […]
…causing the region’s red squirrel populations to decline rapidly. Years of grey squirrel control work carried out by Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels has already removed grey squirrels from much of Aberdeenshire, allowing red squirrels to return to places such as Ellon and even some parts of Aberdeen. A 2017 survey conducted by the project indicated that red squirrel populations in… […]
