Lomond & The Trossachs National Park is one of a limited number of areas in Britain that the red squirrel can still be seen. The National Park Authority carries out a variety of conservation work to help ensure the long-term survival of these rare and endearing creatures.

 

 

Raising Awareness and Education

Every year National Park Authority staff help to raise awareness of the plight of the red squirrel and the conservation activity taking place, by holding activities and events during National Red Squirrel Week. This is held at the beginning of October and is a fun way to find out more about red squirrel ecology and view the various sighting maps of both red and grey squirrels in the Park. Rangers are on hand to answer any questions you might have about these iconic animals. If you would like to try and spot a red squirrel, guided walks take place during the day, when you will get an opportunity to look for squirrel signs and visit a viewing hide.

 

Throughout the year National Park Authority staff deliver a number of school projects and illustrated talks to various groups. Other opportunities to promote red squirrel conservation occur at local events including the Highland Games at Callander, Killin and Dunoon and through articles written for the community based newspapers distributed throughout the National Park.

 

Surveying and Recording

Reporting both red and grey squirrel sightings provides vital information on their distribution and habitats within the Park. The National Park Red Squirrel Working Group, in partnership with Forestry Commission Scotland, has been recording sightings of both red and grey squirrels. All the data is sent to the Scottish Squirrel Survey and the information is used to formulate national plans for red squirrel conservation.

 

The National Park Red Squirrel Group combines its squirrel sightings with the records that are sent directly to the Scottish Squirrel Survey, resulting in a fairly accurate picture of what is happening on the ground. Each year the National Park Authority produce a set of maps showing squirrel sightings and squirrel density.

 

Download Squirrel Sightings Map 2007 (pdf 2.27 Mb) 

 

Many thanks to all those who have already passed on details of sightings; please keep up the good work. Sightings can be passed on by filling out one of our survey forms or by completing the Scottish Squirrel Survey leaflet, available from libraries and visitor centres, or submitting them directly to the website www.scottishsquirrelsurvey.co.uk.

 

Another valuable source of information about squirrel distribution and habitats comes from walking transects (predetermined pathways) through forests and woodlands within the National Park. Rangers and volunteers do this type of surveying in woodlands where there is a good line of sight. A walking transect is best undertaken early in the morning when the squirrels are most active. Almost twenty different walking transects have been established in the critical red/grey interface areas.

 

When the forest is too dense and squirrels would be hard to see, Rangers have put up a network of squirrel feeding stations. The squirrels push up the lid of the feeder to get at the tasty nuts and in doing so they leave a sample of their hair on well placed sticky tabs. These hairs are then checked under a microscope to determine whether it was red or grey squirrels that visited the feeders.

 

A third type of surveying is done in areas where Rangers want to get the best estimate for the squirrel population possible. At Beinn Lagan in the Cowal region and on the east side of Strathyre a number of short feeding cone transects have been established. On an annual basis all the cones are removed from these 50 metre transects and the numbers of squirreled cones (those that have been stripped by squirrels to get at the seed source) are counted. By using standard energy values Rangers can calculate an approximate population density for the surrounding forest.

 

Partnership Working and Future Plans

National Park Authority Rangers continue to liaise with Forestry Commission Scotland and the Cowal Red Squirrel Group to gain important data on squirrel distribution and habitats.

 

In the near future, National Park Authority staff are hoping to launch an “adopt a square” scheme, carrying out a simple survey throughout an assigned kilometre square area of the Park. This might involve looking for nibbled cones or setting up a feeder box. There are little or no records of squirrels away from the main road or the major communities and this would help to provide crucial information about squirrel distribution in these more secluded areas.

 

How to get Involved

If you would like to get involved with red squirrel conservation in the National Park, please contact:

 

Gwenda Diack

Ecologist

Loch Lomond & The Trossachs National Park Authority