Great Scottish Squirrel Survey 2021: the results

…across the country, reporting an incredible 1549 sightings in just one week.     We were particularly keen to see this year’s results due to the impact Covid-19 has had on our annual Spring Survey, which has been cancelled for the past two years. More detailed analysis is ongoing, but the overall distribution of red and grey squirrels across the […]

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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… […]

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Welcoming volunteers back into the field this Volunteers’ Week

  Covid-19 has presented a number of challenges since the start of the year and we are delighted to announce that, with the easing of restrictions, we can now begin to welcome wider Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels volunteers back into the field in perfect time for National Volunteers’ Week. We want to start by thanking everyone for their patience over […]

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Knowledge Fair – celebrating five years of community action

  In December over 100 SSRS volunteers, landowners and other supporters joined us online to celebrate the end of the project’s ‘Developing Community Action‘ phase. The two-day Knowledge Fair featured presentations and panel discussions on all that the project has achieved over the past five years. It was also an opportunity to learn more about the red squirrel conservation work… […]

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News: Public squirrel sightings ‘more important than ever’ as annual Great Scottish Squirrel Survey begins next week

…have declined due to their replacement by introduced grey squirrels who outcompete them for food and habitat and spread the deadly squirrelpox virus. Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels, a partnership project led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, is working with local communities, landowners, partner organisations and volunteers to protect red squirrels in key priority areas where they are most under threat… […]

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News: Take a red squirrel ramble with new digital walking routes

  A series of digitally guided walking routes have been launched by the Scottish Wildlife Trust’s Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project to help visitors and locals discover more about one of the country’s most iconic yet threatened mammals.   Known for their red squirrel populations, the selected sites will provide an opportunity for a wild encounter whilst learning more about… […]

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Grey squirrel control: connecting the dots

…volunteer you’ll have received a copy of this protocol as part of your training, alongside all other essential health & safety documentation. It’s a good idea to look over these regularly, and the easiest way to keep up-to-date is by joining the SSRS Community Hub. There you’ll find all the latest versions of grey squirrel control documentation, as well as… […]

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The SSRS scurry grows!

We recently welcomed a new Eradication Coordinator to our North East team to lead on the intensive surveying and monitoring work to remove the island population of grey squirrels in Aberdeen and the surrounding areas.   Stephany Arroyo Arce, North East Eradication Coordinator “For the past ten years I’ve been immersed in the fascinating world of wild cat conservation in… […]

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This Year's Sightings