To feed or not to feed?

…therefore during the summer months before fruits, conifer seed and nuts are ripe, when their natural food is in short supply. In autumn when plenty of natural food is available, the squirrels may stop coming to your garden, but they will probably return in the winter. Continued feeding throughout the winter will also provide an additional boost to the squirrels… […]

Read More…

News: Report details red squirrel conservation successes, with key recommendations for the iconic species’ long-term future in Scotland.

…achieved. Central Lowlands: a professional team must continue efforts to control grey squirrels long-term across the Highland Line Control Zone to protect the red-only squirrel population of Scotland’s Highlands. Dumfries & Galloway and the Borders: grey squirrels should be controlled by volunteer groups covering the Priority Areas for Red Squirrel Conservation (PARCS) supported by staff and grey squirrel control professionals… […]

Read More…

New Conservation Officer calls for the public to help protect red squirrels in the Scottish Borders

…carry squirrelpox, a virus that does not affect them but is deadly to reds. Outbreaks can cause the local red squirrel population to crash, but research has shown that keeping grey squirrel numbers sufficiently low can enable reds to bounce back. Conservation Officer Laura, who previously spent eight years as Ranger at the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Falls of Clyde Wildlife… […]

Read More…

SSRS Knowledge Fair

SSRS Knowledge Fair: celebrating five years of developing community action   3-4 December 2021 As our ‘Developing Community Action’ phase comes to an end we will be celebrating all the project has achieved alongside our partners, volunteers, landowners and supporters. This virtual Knowledge Fair will also provide an opportunity to learn more about red squirrel conservation work happening across Scotland… […]

Read More…

Building a Volunteer Network

enthusiastic and dedicated volunteers. These volunteers ma ke contributions at every level; from fundraising and public awareness to survey and monitoring to grey squirrel trapping and dispatch . Earlier this month, we published a new guide for these groups on how to build a volunteer network . This easy to follow guide contains everything you need to know from setting… […]

Read More…

Speakers FAQs

…questions to the panel. We will also have a set of pre-planned questions for each session to ensure no awkward silences! Will I receive CrowdComms training? Yes. Once the programme is finalised our CrowdComms technician will coordinate an online training session for all contributors. They will also provide guidance via email. What will happen to the presentations after the conference?… […]

Read More…

Call for Scots to become a nation of squirrel spotters this Red Squirrel Week

…red and grey squirrel sightings or by getting involved with a local volunteer group. Over 5000 squirrel sightings were reported in 2017 but with the launch of their new Hub, SSRS is this year looking to hit the 10,000 target. Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels Project Manager, Dr Mel Tonkin said: “For Red Squirrel Week, we’re launching a brand new website… […]

Read More…

Celebrating a red squirrel champion

…to ten camera traps. This game-changing grant will make monitoring surveys more robust, grey squirrel control more effective and public engagement activities even more captivating, right across South Scotland. These initiatives by Peter at Forum level already go some way towards ensuring that community-led squirrel conservation work will continue uninterrupted beyond the end of the current phase of the SSRS… […]

Read More…

How can mathematical modelling help save red squirrels in Scotland?

…squirrel presence after 24 simulated years for different levels of grey squirrel control in Dumfries & Galloway. Grey squirrel control was simulated in the model in the areas indicated by the black rectangles.   For more information on the modelling work and other strongholds in the Central Lowlands of Scotland see: http://www.macs.hw.ac.uk/~awhite/ Prof A. White & Dr P. W.W. Lurz… […]

Read More…

News: ‘Booster’ project will protect Scotland’s red squirrels for another two years

…Executive Jo Pike said: “We’re delighted to have secured funding to enable the two-year transition phase to take place. The strength of the collaboration between partners, the quality of the data and evidence gathering, and the extraordinary contribution from volunteers have all combined to make this a project that is rightly viewed as an exemplar of invasive non-native species control…. […]

Read More…

This Year's Sightings