…of the public and SSRS staff which appear to display classic symptoms of the deadly disease. Very sadly at least 10 red squirrels have been found dead in the area due to suspected squirrelpox. Squirrelpox is a virus carried by grey squirrels which appears not to affect them, but when passed to red squirrels, the virus is often lethal. Symptoms… […]
…Officer for Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels said: “In conjunction with Forestry Commission Scotland, who manage Heathhall, we have deployed emergency Squirrelpox outbreak response measures. All feeder boxes found on site have been removed and trapping has commenced to isolate any sick red squirrels and remove any grey squirrels. Captured sick red squirrels will be taken to a local veterinary clinic… […]
…our survey sites are beautiful areas of woodland that are very rarely visited; unspoilt and full of things to see. I’ve walked through clouds of butterflies on a site near Dumfries, I’ve had close encounters with deer and of course I’ve seen red squirrels (and grey ones too!) You can do your survey visits at any time, so you can… […]
…spring survey would be much harder to organise. And it’s not just Gala Men’s Shed that is getting in on the action. Dalbeattie Men’s Shed made another 50 boxes for use across Dumfries & Galloway, and Hawick Men’s Shed have been making feeder boxes for their local volunteer network, Teviot & Borthwick Red Squirrel Network, to help them with their… […]
Original Author: Steve Willis Sometimes trail cameras pick up some pretty unusual animal behaviour… The SSRS team use trail cameras for much of our survey work. As these amazing devices have come down in price their popularity has risen and risen. And for good reason too – they are unobtrusive ways to observe your local wildlife. Even setting… […]
Original Author: Steve Willis The inspiring story of two very dedicated humans and one very lucky red squirrel kitten. Rescuing and rehabilitating any wild animal is fraught with challenges and red squirrels are no exception. Here is the tail, sorry tale, of Rusty the Red! Here is an account of the rehabilitation of a red squirrel kitten by two… […]
…and in the south since 2013. In recent years results have indicated that red squirrel populations have stabilised, following several decades of decline. In the south of Scotland (Dumfries & Galloway, the Scottish Borders and parts of Ayrshire and South Lanarkshire), the number of survey sites reporting red squirrels remained between 51-52%, but encouragingly, the number of sites with grey… […]
…one if you don’t mind. Sandy: Oh well, pine cones for me. Steve: Probably best Sandy. What you got there? Sandy: This is ‘Rosie’, the other SSRS mascot. She’s a knitted squirrel, made by the lovely folks of Deeside Knitwits. She looks amazing, but maybe a wee bit small if you ask me. Steve: Size isn’t everything Sandy, I think… […]
…depending on your location and interests. Become an expert squirrel spotter Last year we received a record-breaking 5300 squirrel sightings on our website. Each sighting is added to a national database, helping us better understand squirrel distribution across Scotland. If you’re a dedicated squirrel spotter, you can now register with the Hub to keep a personal record of your… […]
