…adventures over the next few days . Where & When You could plan a trip almost anywhere in Scotland, or even just outside your front door. There are a number of well-known squirrel stomping grounds you could visit; however, it is equally important to consider an area that could be an ideal squirrel habitat where few sightings have been recorded… […]
Original Author: Dr Mel Tonkin, Project Manager With the fight to protect Scotland’s only native squirrel species reaching a critical stage, Minister for the Environment and Climate Change Paul Wheelhouse MSP visits the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project. At the start of September, the Scottish Wildlife Trust welcomed a visit by the Minister for Environment and Climate Change,… […]
Original Author: Paul McDonald Paul McDonald (Project Officer for Argyll & the Trossachs), Lorna Hutchison and Samira Takla (SSRS Volunteers) spend Easter Sunday engaging visitors at The Lodge Visitor Centre, Aberfoyle. This Easter Sunday saw a magical transformation in at The Lodge Visitor Centre in Aberfoyle. The Forestry Commission Scotland and RSPB had organised a series of family… […]
…There are now approximately 160,000 native red squirrels in Britain, of which over 75% live in Scotland Since the introduction of grey squirrels, they have become widespread across Britain due to their ability to adapt to new environments. They have also introduced the squirrel pox virus which, although catastrophic to red squirrels, appears to leave grey squirrels relatively unharmed due… […]
…outdoors. Both species seen throughout the week were reported to scottishsquirrels.org.uk for inclusion in a national database that directly influences conservation action. A total of 548 grey squirrel and 2612 red squirrel sightings were reported to the project during the survey, almost eight times as many sightings as would be reported in a typical week and almost four times the… […]
…we welcomed the return of Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels grey squirrel control staff and essential control volunteers to outdoor working who were able to work alone and apply social distancing measures in alignment with our new SSRS Covid-19 risk assessments for outdoor working. Following the latest easing of restrictions, grey squirrel control volunteers are now able to travel outwith a… […]
…favourite nuts left out in an unguarded jacket pocket! I need hardly say that it is most encouraging when I see the thirty-nine organizations that make up the U.K. Squirrel Accord working together in harmony, and when I read of the Accord’s advancing research into practical grey squirrel control. Above all, it is enormously heartening to encounter the passionate enthusiasm… […]
…single, accidental, introduction event in 1971. Within a few decades, grey squirrels replaced red squirrels throughout Aberdeen city. As their numbers increased they also spread into rural areas along the Dee, beyond Banchory, and the Don, as far as Inverurie, posing a threat to the red squirrels in wider Aberdeenshire and to nearby populations in Moray and the Highlands. SSRS… […]
…an Administrative Assistant, and from June started her new role as Assistant Conservation Officer. When she is not busy saving red squirrels, Victoria works as a Freelance Ecologist, undertaking bat surveys, badger, amphibian, butterfly and botanical surveys. Victoria will be joining the South West team from Dalbeattie in Dumfries and Galloway once restrictions ease. Contact: vchanin@scottishwildlifetrust.org.uk Dr Emma Sheehy:… […]
…a recent report of a grey squirrel seen near Loch Katrine was worrying and surprising, as it has been a stronghold for red squirrels for many years, and is some distance from the nearest grey squirrel population. Swift action ensured that the squirrel was captured, and since then local people have kept a sharp eye out to make sure there… […]
