Red squirrels making a comeback beside the Gareloch

Red squirrels are making a comeback beside the Gareloch, with a steep increase in sightings this year.

Numbers of the indigenous red squirrels have declined dramatically over a period of decades, as grey squirrels spread across the UK.

So far this year there have been five sightings of reds in Garelochhead, Mambeg and Clynder, compared to five throughout 2017 – including one in Rosneath – and just one in 2016.

A spokesperson for the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project said the area was seen as important for conservation. since it sits on the very edge of where the grey squirrels of the Central Belt meet the red squirrels of the Highlands.

And conservation officer for Argyll, the Trossachs and Stirling, Mary-Anne Collis, said: “The recent reports of red squirrels in Garelochhead are the most we’ve received in many years.

“We’ve had a few sightings since 2015, but only the odd individual. To some degree they are surrounded by grey squirrels, but we’ve also recently had red squirrel sightings in and around Balloch, at Stoneymollan and in Balloch Castle Country Park. Reds have been slowly making their way down the west side of Loch Lomond from Arrochar and Tarbet.”

She asked people to help by reporting their sightings of both red and grey squirrels on  scottishsquirrels.org.uk

Also, as it is an area where both red and grey squirrels are found side by side, it’s especially important that anyone feeding squirrels and other wildlife in their garden keeps their feeding equipment clean.

Grey squirrels can carry squirrelpox, a virus that doesn’t harm them but is fatal to our native reds.

Fortunately the disease is mostly found in the south of Scotland, but the project is monitoring the situation as it spreads further north. Keeping feeding equipment clean helps prevent the spread of disease.

The reason for the local recovery by red squirrels is not clear, but pine martens have been spotted on the Rosneath Peninsula and research in Ireland has shown that the recovering Irish pine marten population is causing grey squirrels to decline in range and numbers, allowing a complete recovery of red squirrels in areas occupied by pine martens.

A similar effect has also been found to occur in several parts of Scotland where pine martens are present.

The relationship between pine martens and grey squirrels is not fully understood. While pine martens take significantly more grey squirrels than reds as prey, this is unlikely to provide the full explanation.

The project says it should be noted that although pine martens will also take red squirrels, they are both native Scottish species with important roles in the woodland ecosystem, and it seems the two species can thrive together in the right conditions.

However, pine martens are still recovering from years of persecution in Scotland and it may take a long time before they can make a real difference in the effort to save Scotland’s red squirrels.

Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels is a partnership project led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust and includes Scottish Natural Heritage, Forestry Commission Scotland, RSPB Scotland, Scottish Land & Estates and the Red Squirrel Survival Trust.