North East Scotland

…has been working locally with Aberdeen City Council and wider project partners since 2009 to reduce grey squirrel density and distribution in the north east. Our work to date has been very successful, and we are now aiming to completely eradicate grey squirrels from the north east of Scotland. With the help of local volunteers, we are carrying out intensive… […]

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News: Over £1M in new funding awarded to aid red squirrel recovery in Scotland

…Our hopes and aims for next phase are ambitious, but ones that we absolutely can realise with increased landscape-scale investment from partners, stakeholders, landowners, and local community involvement. We are incredibly grateful to everyone already involved in red squirrel conservation across the country and look forward to bringing more people and organisations onboard with this important and vital work.” Dr… […]

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Leaping into the future

  This week marks the official end of ‘Developing Community Action’. The past five years have gone incredibly fast! So what happens next?   Funded by National Lottery Players, ‘Developing Community Action’ saw the SSRS team expand to its largest ever staffing level, with ambitious aims to boost our engagement with local communities, build a network of skilled volunteers and,… […]

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Great Scottish Squirrel Survey

…to our online sightings map. We anticipate that the data collected during the Great Scottish Squirrel Survey will be verified, collated and published by December 2023. View 2022 Great Scottish Squirrel Survey Results   Share your stories Share your Great Scottish Squirrel Survey photos and stories with us by using the hashtag #GreatScottishSquirrelSurvey. Don’t forget to follow us on twitter… […]

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Community Hub

Welcome to the Community Hub Community action is the key to the long-term survival of Scotland’s red squirrels. The Hub is a space for our supporters and volunteers to keep up to date with the project and connect with like-minded people working to protect local red squirrel populations. Registered users can keep track of their squirrel sightings, and join a… […]

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News: Public citizen science effort creates snapshot of squirrel distributions across Scotland.

…this iconic species. A total of 659 people took part in the survey, with 255 grey squirrel and 510 red squirrel sightings reported in total, more than triple the number of sightings reported in a typical week. The survey confirmed that the red-only population of the Highlands remains safe and free of grey squirrels thanks to efforts by staff protecting… […]

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Speaking up for Red Squirrels in the Consultation on Scotland’s Strategic Framework for Biodiversity

…and thoughts and answer any additional questions as you see fit:   Dear Minister Slater, I am writing in response to your consultation, Tackling the Nature Emergency – Strategic Framework for Biodiversity. Here are some of my views: My general comment: [INSER T GENERAL COMMENT] My con sultation answers: [INSERT SELECTED QUESTIONS WITH YOUR ANSWERS BELOW] I am responding as… […]

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Grey squirrel control: connecting the dots

…of grey squirrel control documentation, as well as useful tips from experienced staff. By joining the Hub you’ll also have the ability to share your squirrel data with us quickly and easily, and view results from across the country. It’s a great way to stay connected with the project and see how our combined efforts are saving Scotland’s red squirrels…. […]

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News: Get involved in Scotland’s fifth annual Great Scottish Squirrel Survey

…Between 2-8 October we are encouraging members of the public to explore the outdoors, get squirrel spotting, and add sightings of red and grey squirrels to scottishsquirrels.org.uk. The annual Great Scottish Squirrel Survey is the most important public event for comparing yearly distributions of red and grey squirrels. Last year we received 10,484 sightings in total with the help of… […]

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Simple tricks for telling your reds from your greys

…larger than red squirrels (they can reach almost double their size) and have small ears with no tufts. They can often present with red colouring, which is why it’s important to consider other characteristics when spotting greys. The most definitive way to tell them apart from reds is by their distinctive white fringes or ‘halos’ around their tails which are… […]

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This Year's Sightings