Our Coast, Our Sea - Map of Red Squirrel Sightings and Adopt a Red Squirrel

25 November 2009

The Save our Squirrels team (SoS) would like to thank the hundreds of people who took part in its second Great North Squirrel Quest.

The Quest, which ran from 1st – 31st October invited people throughout the region to help in the creation of an updated living snap shot of squirrel populations in Northumberland.

Members of the public were urged to carry out surveys everywhere from gardens, to woodlands and roadsides and report their sightings of red and grey squirrel activity. 450 reds and greys were sighted during the 31 days.

The SoS team has compared the 2009 Quest snapshot maps of red and grey distribution to the 2008 maps and found that, in Northumberland there is very little change in the areas where they have been sighted which is both good and bad.
Save our Squirrels is delighted that the distribution of reds is still very widespread across Northumberland, with reds being reported from the Scottish Borders right down to North of the Tyne and South at Edmundbyers near Blanchland. The East – West spread was also very pleasing with reds being sighted near the coast at Lynemouth and Cresswell and inland at Kielder Castle, Greenhead and Ninebanks.

The not so good news is that grey squirrels are also still very widespread and the Team was disappointed that only grey squirrel sightings were reported from the main Tyne Valley between Haltwhistle and Blagdon. As with 2008, there was a concentration of greys being reported around the Morpeth area and it would appear that more are crossing south from Scotland into Berwick and heading as far south as Wooler.

However, undeterred, every grey squirrel sighting reported has been passed on to local squirrel groups, Northern Red Squirrels and professional gamekeepers who are all working tirelessly to keep Northumberland a red county.

Anybody wishing to view the new 2009 and the 2008 Quest maps for the whole of Northern England can do so by logging on at www.saveoursquirrels.org

SoS would like to encourage everybody to continue to report sightings of both reds greys via the website or the National Squirrel Hotline: 0845 347 9375.

The SoS (Save our Squirrels) Project has launched its 2010 Adopt a Squirrel Campaign just in time for Christmas.

For £18.00 per adoption, members of the public will be able to adopt a red squirrel for a year.

In return for their sponsorship, adopters will receive a special gift package which includes: a fact sheet, postcard, car sticker, book mark, adoption certificate and, most of all, the satisfaction that their adoption will make a difference of the SoS Project. Adopters can also include a toy squirrel or cotton bag for an additional £2.00.

Once common, the red squirrel is now in serious decline across the United Kingdom. It has virtually disappeared in Southern England and only remains in small areas in Northern England and Southern Scotland.

The decline has been caused by the invasive grey squirrel which was introduced from the USA in the 1870s. The grey squirrel is heavier and is therefore able to out-compete the red squirrel in its search fro food. It also carries the deadly Squirrelpox virus (SQPV).

Although research is being undertaken into a vaccine for SQPV, it will still be a number of years before it is ready. In the meantime, attempts are being made to keep reds and greys apart which includes the creation of specially protected red squirrels woodlands, known as Reserves.

Anybody interested in popping an Adoption Package in somebody’s stocking this Christmas Eve can make an adoption on-line by logging on at www.saveoursquirrels.org or call the SoS hotline on: 0845 3479375.

An adoption of a squirrel will help to ensure that SoS is able to continue its work of managing red squirrel woodlands, public engagement projects and working closely with other organisations to ensure the red squirrels survives for future generations to enjoy.