Tayside

in Tayside, please contact your local SSRS staff for more information.   Landowners Landowners in certain areas can control grey squirrels under Forestry Grant Scheme funding, or join the project’s trap-loan scheme. Woodland owners, meanwhile, can adjust the management of their woods to benefit red squirrels. Please contact your local SSRS or Scottish Forestry staff for more information.   Area… […]

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HRH The Prince of Wales gives special thanks to volunteers on Red Squirrel Appreciation Day

the natural woodland habitat in which it evolved. Without your efforts, we simply could not hope to succeed in the task we have set ourselves. Generations to come would be denied the pleasure we take for granted in the healthy woods that are now threatened as never before, and of which the red squirrel is both the symbol and, by… […]

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For nature, go native

commercial conifers – to red squirrels. The researchers, together with Ulster Wildlife, bring into question red squirrel conservation strategies that focus on the planting of such forests.   Scotland’s conifer forests In Scotland, non-native conifer forests are planted for commercial purposes. By the 1930s red squirrel populations were in serious decline in the UK, but the extensive conifer planting that… […]

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New faces and farewells

…Mearns, and extending this into North-east Angus, with the support of the North-east Team in Aberdeen, whilst also liaising closely with the team in Tayside. The Mearns & East Angus section of the highland line is a crucial location in both the defence of the Highland Line and ensuring that the risk of immigration into Aberdeen city’s island population of… […]

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Vital protections for red squirrels at risk

…Countryside Act 1981. The Minister for Environment, Biodiversity and Land Reform (Mairi McAllan) gave this response: S6W-01445 Mairi McAllan : “The Scottish Government is committed to enhancing biodiversity and to protecting vulnerable species in Scotland. Following the conclusion of the seventh Quinquennial Review the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) will submit recommendations for potential changes to the animals and plants… […]

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News: Suspected squirrelpox outbreak near Lockerbie threatens local red squirrel population

…outbreak.” The first known squirrelpox outbreak in Scotland occurred in 2007 near Lockerbie and since then the disease has arisen in various red squirrel populations across the south. Pox carrying grey squirrels are now considered to be widespread throughout South Scotland and the disease could therefore be transferred to local red squirrel populations in any area. However, despite outbreaks in […]

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News: Public squirrel sightings soar in 2023

…city and its outskirts. In the South of Scotland a mix of the two species remain, with volunteer groups working hard to lower grey densities in the region. Grey squirrels were introduced to Scotland in Victorian times and have since replaced the native red squirrel in many parts of the country. They out-compete reds for food and living space and… […]

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Introducing the new Eastern Lowlands Red Squirrel Group

In February 2023 the Eastern Lowlands Red Squirrel Group (ELRSG) was established with funding through the Red Squirrel Survival Trust. It is an independent group from Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels as the project does not cover this area. The Eastern Lowlands includes the Kingdom of Fife, Clackmannanshire, part of Stirling and parts of Perth and Kinross.   East Lowland Red… […]

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Squirrel Sightings: an inside look

…aren’t any others in the area. In Helensburgh however, no red squirrels had been recorded in living memory, only greys. That changed last year with a report of a red squirrel on the outskirts of the town, followed by further red sightings this year on the other side. So, now that you know how the whole thing works, please get… […]

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Squirrel Sightings: an inside look

…squirrelpox hotspot (the south of Scotland) and think a red squirrel looks poorly.   Verification Our job is to look at each sighting to make sure that all the details are correct including the grid reference; we have had the occasional sighting seeming to indicate a squirrel swimming in the North Sea! It is a huge job going through the […]

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This Year's Sightings