For nature, go native

…started soon after the First World War has provided a vast additional area of habitat. Because grey squirrels don’t readily survive in them, Sitka spruce forests can help red squirrels by providing a refuge when grey squirrel numbers are overwhelming in the wider landscape. However, without the threat from greys, red squirrels are best suited to a mixed habitat of… […]

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Community Hub FAQs

…will accept your request and/or be in touch to discuss. If applicable they will also send you an invite to join the private survey and grey control groups Note: if your local group is not currently operating independently from SSRS, you may still be required to join the SSRS volunteering group and enter your details as prompted. Your group’s Hub… […]

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Keeping track of red squirrel numbers in gardens around Gatehouse of Fleet

…work as a team locally, we can use the rather frequent visits by reds to our garden feeders to measure how our local population varies through time. This requires a bit of coordination so that the information is collected in a consistent way and on a regular basis. And of course, if a grey turns up, it’s time to take… […]

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An Autumn Overview of Tree ID

…of habitat the squirrel was spotted in. Having a basic knowledge of tree identification comes in helpful here and sharing this allows us to investigate which habitats squirrels appear to be thriving in. Spotting the difference between a coniferous and deciduous tree in autumn is simple. Deciduous trees with broad leaves, change colour and often lose their leaves at this… […]

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Reviewing the Scottish Strategy for Red Squirrel Conservation

…aims to produce a practical, evidence-based and realistic approach to species recovery even in the current era of the twin crises of climate change and biodiversity loss. The main 50-year vision informing the new Strategy is to achieve the recovery of red squirrels in Scotland; to see healthy, self-sustaining populations which are capable of fulfilling their ecological role throughout their… […]

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A lucky escape!

…so on. One of our survey volunteers, Gus, was away with his class on a field trip to Mar Lodge Estate in the Cairngorms. A stunning place a with a lot of wildlife, as any of you who have ever watched BBC Autumn or Winterwatch will know. Gus set up his camera in the woods and put a wee bit… […]

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

…them to become fully community-led. In the North East, the project has worked towards the removal of an isolated population of grey squirrels that was introduced to Aberdeen in the 1970s and spread to the surrounding countryside. Today, grey squirrels are largely limited to the centre of the city and eradication is considered achievable. In the Central Lowlands, grey squirrels… […]

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Celebrating a red squirrel champion

…red squirrel conservation work done in South Scotland in line with practice across the country. To encourage collaboration across the Forum, Peter developed an ‘Offers and Needs Chart’ featuring around 20 activity types and all the groups. This is designed to encourage the exchange of advice and the establishment of trainer-trainee partnerships across the groups, in order to make best […]

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This Year's Sightings