Tayside

Tayside Successfully defending the Highland Boundary Line to protect north Scotland’s red squirrels through strategic control and monitoring Tayside continues to provide a home for many of Scotland’s red squirrels. However, since the 1980s grey squirrels have spread north from Perth and the Central Belt. Unfortunately, these grey squirrels not only out-compete reds, some also carry the deadly squirrelpox virus…. […]

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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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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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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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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

…dead red squirrel carcasses found to the Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies for post-mortem analysis.” People can report their sightings of both red and grey squirrels at scottishsquirrels.org.uk. Details for how to post carcasses to the Vet School and how to effectively clean feeders can also be found on the site. Although Squirrelpox is not considered harmful to humans,… […]

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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

…  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 thousands of sightings that come in throughout GSSS week, and we are fortunate… […]

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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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News: Moffat’s red squirrels and golden eagles team up to give native wildlife a boost

…have come together to protect their local red squirrels, with support from the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project. While the south of Scotland is home to healthy populations of red squirrels, they are seriously threatened by the spread of grey squirrels. Grey squirrels are an invasive species that out-competes native red squirrels for food and living space. They can also… […]

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This Year's Sightings