…Conservation Officer for North East Scotland Emma joined us in April as our new Conservation Officer for North East Scotland, as a highly experienced red squirrel and pine marten researcher. Since starting the role, she has been focusing on the eradication of Aberdeen’s urban grey squirrel population, returning reds to the parks and gardens of Aberdeen and halting the spread… […]
…on a record-breaking turnout in 2020, last year’s 2021 Great Scottish Squirrel Survey saw 1549 squirrel sightings reported in just one week by nearly 1100 people across Scotland. Sightings help project staff to create a picture of the situation on the ground, and directly contribute to red squirrel conservation action. Since the end of the project’s spring surveys in 2020,… […]
…We very much look forward to continuing the important work to secure the future of red squirrels in Scotland.” Grey squirrels continue to pose the greatest threat to red squirrels in Scotland. An invasive species that was introduced to Britain from North America in Victorian times, grey squirrels out-compete reds for food and living space and have rapidly replaced native… […]
…nature in our towns and cities, particularly as urban growth and intensification increases. Although red squirrels have successfully adapted to live alongside us in urban areas, they still need access to native seed-bearing trees (instead of ornamental species often found in gardens) for high quality food sources and for building dreys, habitat corridors for movement, and protection from road traffic…. […]
…of the invasive non-native grey squirrel which, along with carrying the squirrelpox virus, also outcompete red squirrels for food and habitat. Greys were first introduced to the UK from North America by the Victorians and have since displaced red squirrels in most of England and Wales, with more than 75% of the UK’s total remaining population residing in Scotland today…. […]
…Merseyside Wildlife Trust, Knowsley Safari Foundation in Prescot in Merseyside and The Southern Uplands Partnership covering southern Scotland. Made possible by National Lottery players, the project aims to protect and conserve populations of red squirrels in the north of England and southern Scotland. Development funding of £158,600 has been awarded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund to help Northumberland Wildlife… […]
…grey squirrel control in key areas. Join a Local Group Achievements to date Increase in grey squirrel control – Analysis of trapping results has shown an increase in grey squirrel detection, largely due to the increase in control activity across the region by volunteers and landowners, with volunteer cull contributions rising from 1.3% to 27% in the last four… […]
Regular readers of our blog will remember that last July we raised concerns about the security of Highland Perthshire’s native red squirrels following sightings reports from Pitlochry and Aberfeldy of their non-native cousin, the grey squirrel. Local people heard our appeals for help and we can now report on progress to date, including our first tangible success in our… […]
