North East Scotland

…single, accidental, introduction event in 1971. Within a few decades, grey squirrels replaced red squirrels throughout Aberdeen city. As their numbers increased they also spread into rural areas along the Dee, beyond Banchory, and the Don, as far as Inverurie, posing a threat to the red squirrels in wider Aberdeenshire and to nearby populations in Moray and the Highlands. SSRS… […]

Read More…

Argaty’s red squirrels are back in full force

…computer down and head to the woods to feed our squirrels. If none are around I will linger a few minutes, as I do every day, and wait for the first one to come in. And as I stand watching it I will remember the excitement of that first squirrel sighting and wonder what my ten-year old self would say… […]

Read More…

Cally Gardens Wildlife Hide is now open!

…been opened up and the understorey cleared in places by the National Scenic Area volunteer team and others. Kevin intends plant a wide range of shrubs within view of the hide, to provide sources of food such as wild fruits and nuts for red squirrels, as well as any passing badgers and foxes. This vegetation will also host more invertebrates… […]

Read More…

Grey squirrel control: connecting the dots

the spread of grey squirrels. Classified as an invasive non-native species, it is widely acknowledged that targeted, landscape-scale grey squirrel population control is essential if we want to reverse the decline of Scotland’s red squirrels. It’s a huge undertaking, but fortunately there are many passionate and experienced landowners and individuals volunteering to do their bit across priority areas. At Saving… […]

Read More…

One small step for Perthshire’s reds

…like much, but locating and intercepting the very early grey squirrel colonisers is a difficult job – needles and haystacks being an apt analogy – and your reports enable us to narrow our search. Although the risk of grey squirrel presence in the area has been reduced, we of course do not know how many grey squirrels remain in Pitlochry,… […]

Read More…

Community Hub

…a Hub account. If you are already a SSRS volunteer, please use the same email address you used when you originally signed up so we can match your personal details.   Volunteer access Already volunteering with us? You can start accessing additional Hub features by joining the SSRS volunteering group (you’ll need to register to create an account first). If… […]

Read More…

News: New research underway to trace the steps of urban squirrels

…is currently known about how grey squirrels live and move in a built-up space and this study is the first of its kind. It aims to highlight the habitat preferences, movement corridors and home range size of grey squirrels in Aberdeen. Researchers will monitor the movements of 10 grey squirrels between late March and July using VHF (Very High Frequency)… […]

Read More…

News: Suspected squirrelpox outbreak near Lockerbie threatens local red squirrel population

…vulnerable time for red squirrels, as they prepare for the upcoming mating season and increase contact with one another. We have deployed our emergency squirrelpox outbreak response measures, and as such locals can expect to see an increased staff and volunteer presence in the area as we increase grey control efforts in the region in a bid to stem the […]

Read More…

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… […]

Read More…

New threat to Perthshire’s red squirrels as greys reappear in Aberfeldy

…grey squirrel control. Ann-Marie added: “To those in Aberfeldy who have grey squirrels visiting their garden and wish to take a proactive approach, SSRS staff can lend traps and provide training and ongoing support. Those with a trap will be paired with an experienced dispatcher. “However, the simplest thing anyone can do to help is report sightings. If you see… […]

Read More…

This Year's Sightings