A future for Scotland’s red squirrels is on the money

  This week Royal Bank of Scotland unveiled the design of its new polymer £20 banknote, which will be in circulation from 2020.   The note’s front side features famous Glaswegian tearoom owner and Mackintosh collaborator Catherine Cranston. It’s great to see Miss Cranston receive well-earned recognition as a pioneer of female entrepreneurship, the first woman other than the Queen… […]

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Great Scottish Squirrel Survey 2021: the results

…the opportunity to get to know their local patch of nature. However, clearly many people have caught the squirrel-spotting bug as we have still received more than 13,000 sightings to our website so far this year. Thank you to everyone who took the time to participate in our citizen science campaign, and to all the organisations, community groups and volunteers… […]

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Southern Uplands Partnership Guest Blog: Funding Success for Red Squirrel Recovery Network

…over £250,000 are assessed in two rounds. Red Squirrel recovery Network has initially been granted round one development funding of £158,600 by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, allowing it to progress with its plans. Detailed proposals are then considered by The National Lottery Heritage Fund at second round, where a final decision is made on the full funding award. As… […]

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Call for Scots to become a nation of squirrel spotters this Red Squirrel Week

…red and grey squirrel sightings or by getting involved with a local volunteer group. Over 5000 squirrel sightings were reported in 2017 but with the launch of their new Hub, SSRS is this year looking to hit the 10,000 target. Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels Project Manager, Dr Mel Tonkin said: “For Red Squirrel Week, we’re launching a brand new website… […]

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An Introduction to Squirrels in Scotland

  There are over 200 species of squirrel across the globe, and Scotland is home to just two of them, the Eurasian Red Squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris) and the Grey Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis). Grey squirrels, which are native to North America, were introduced to Britain in 1876, before which it is estimated that there were around 3.5 million native red squirrels…. […]

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News: Record participation in national squirrel survey

  A record number of squirrel sightings were reported by the public during September’s Great Scottish Squirrel Survey. 2,100 people – three times the number who took part in the first national survey in 2019 – logged over 3,000 sightings of red and grey squirrels, creating a Scotland-wide snapshot and providing valuable data for conservationists.   The Great Scottish Squirrel… […]

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A year of saving red squirrels in East Wigtownshire

…to welcoming more members in the coming months and years to help us so that red squirrels can continue to thrive in their rightful home.   If you would like to get involved with red squirrel conservation within the East Wigtownshire area please get in touch through the SSRS Network Directory, where you can explore network groups across South Scotland…. […]

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Call to report red squirrel sightings in Dumfries & Galloway

…fallen drastically to just 120,000. This is largely due to the spread of the grey squirrel, which was first introduced to Britain from North America in the mid-19th Century. Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels is a partnership project led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and made possible thanks to National Lottery players and the Dumfries & Galloway LEADER 2014 – 2020… […]

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News: The Great Scottish Squirrel Survey returns in an important year for squirrel sightings

project’s spring surveys in both 2020 and 2021. These annual systematic surveys, which used baited squirrel-hair sampling boxes at over 200 specific locations, provided robust distribution data for both red and grey squirrels that was invaluable for comparing the fortunes of squirrels from year-to-year. Project Manager Dr Mel Tonkin said: “Without the spring survey data, we need the help of… […]

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This Year's Sightings