News: Red letter day – Plean’s first red squirrel entered home through letterbox

…website, scottishsquirrels.org.uk. The data helps the project monitor population changes over time and decide where to focus conservation efforts. Mary-Anne added: “It’s incredibly exciting that red squirrels appear to be making a comeback in Plean and other parts of Stirlingshire, but we’d like to see more evidence. Everyone can help by keeping an eye out and reporting their sightings online.”… […]

Read More…

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… […]

Read More…

Welcoming volunteers back into the field this Volunteers’ Week

…the last year. We have been blown away by the enthusiasm and commitment that volunteers have shown throughout this difficult time. Creativity is one thing that certainly hasn’t been restricted, as we’ve witnessed Red Squirrel Network Groups adapt and rise to the challenge – from producing calendars for raising funds, to engaging with local schools and sharing educational activities online…. […]

Read More…

Red squirrels and biosecurity

…in East Anglia in the 1980’s and has gradually moved northwards. Red squirrels, (Sciurus vulgaris) our native species, are under threat from loss of habitat and competition with the larger introduced grey squirrel. Now it has been found that when there is cross-infection with the pox virus from grey squirrel carriers, eradication of the reds can be around 20% faster… […]

Read More…

News: Help stop the spread of grey squirrels in the Mearns

…highly invasive grey squirrel could also spread further into the Grampians and the Highlands, threatening Scotland’s largest populations of red squirrels. Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels is encouraging people to report sightings of both red and grey squirrels online. The project is also looking for volunteers in the area to support its vital conservation work. Sarah Woodfin, Monitoring Officer, North East… […]

Read More…

To feed or not to feed?

Original Author: Alexa Seagrave   We often get asked about feeding red squirrels, and the very best thing you can do is make your garden as wildlife friendly as possible.   Planting native shrubs and small trees for berries and nuts will provide the best natural food for free and give the best nutrition. So get out there and plant… […]

Read More…

News: ‘Booster’ project will protect Scotland’s red squirrels for another two years

…red squirrel populations across most of England, Wales and Scotland’s Central Belt. Grey squirrels can also carry squirrelpox, a virus that doesn’t harm them but is deadly to reds. One of the project’s key aims is to build a network of local volunteers in priority areas across the south of Scotland, where healthy red squirrel populations are surrounded by greys… […]

Read More…

Coronavirus: all SSRS outdoor volunteer work suspended

…as soon as possible (with a 10 figure grid reference for each trap or a detailed location description). Where traps are currently set, our staff will endeavour to secure them shut if at all possible. This was not an easy decision to make. Together we have made great strides in recent years, and we are fully aware that this could… […]

Read More…

A red squirrel first for Luss Estate

…line, where the grey squirrels of the Central Belt meet Scotland’s core red squirrel populations in the Highlands. It’s therefore crucial that we prevent the greys from spreading any further north, and that their numbers are reduced to allow nearby red populations to recolonise the area. Our data shows that red squirrels completely disappeared from Loch Lomond’s western shore except… […]

Read More…

This Year's Sightings