Mid Wales Red Squirrel Partnership – May 2016

MWRSP-logoMany people in the mid Wales, and within the Red Squirrel Focal Site in particular, have reported that they have not seen many, or even any, grey squirrels this year.  A phenomenon which I think, at least partially, can be attributed to our trapping efforts, nearly 1,170 taken out in the last 12 months by Trap Loan Scheme members. Although grey squirrel numbers still appear to be high in other regions of  Britain, theories  have been put forward which may also partially account for the apparent drop in the local grey squirrel population, such as persistent wet weather over the winter months causing cached food supplies to decay. Grey squirrels depend much more on stored food than reds, so, if their food stores are rotten this could be one factor affecting their decline. As far as the red squirrel goes, this is all to the good, of course! Unfortunately, when numbers are low, it takes much more time to catch any grey squirrels do turn up.   Read more>>

RSNE – The Red Report – May 2016

RSNE Red Report

Our four years of Heritage Lottery Funding for community engagement work has now concluded. Chris Westerback and Katy Cook’s RSNE community development roles finished in March, although they will both continue to have partial involvement in RSNE. As such, The Red Report will now become a bi annual newsletter, with editions in summer and winter.  Read more>>

Westmorland Red Squirrels – Spring 2016

WRS LogoWe’re privileged to bring you an article about which tree species help red squirrels, written for us by three eminent red squirrel scientists: Dr Peter Lurz, Dr Craig Shuttleworth and Professor John Gurnell.  In Westmorland’s area we are experiencing tree disease and its consequent felling and re-planting, and it’s important that our red squirrels are taken into account in woodland planning, alongside all the other woodland species that vie for attention.

A glut of natural food caused last year’s grey population explosion, but there’s been a complete reversal of food supply over this last autumn/winter, which has had an impact on grey numbers. Only time will tell exactly what we’ll face this year, but there have been good years for greys in the past and we’re not known for giving up at the first hurdle. The problem with the Forestry Commission not allowing suitably trained volunteers to shoot on their land continues to be a thorn in our side.  Read more>>

 

Mid Wales Red Squirrel Partnership – February 2016

MWRSP-logoGrey squirrels  don’t  only  present a problem for red squirrels, they are also responsible for damage to property.  According to a study published in 2011 by the international scientific organisation CABI for DEFRA, Scottish Government and the Welsh Assembly, grey squirrels cost the British economy an estimated £14 million per annum; damage to power cables alone is estimated to cost millions of pounds in the UK.  An article in the Guardian identifies hundreds of power outages which  can be directly attributed to squirrels.

Read on to get some top trapping tips from Matthew Hand, hear about an exciting new – UK wide – red squirrel conservation project, get the latest on the new pine marten arrivals, find out about invasive species control in Mauritius, and get the low-down on all of the latest developments in red squirrel conservation here in mid Wales. More>>

Penrith & District Red Squirrel Group – Summer/Autumn 2015

P&DRSG banner

You may remember we mentioned in our previous Winter/Spring 2015 newsletter that it has been a bountiful year for nature in general, with natural food being produced in abundance at the end of 2014. This year’s crop doesn’t seem to have been as productive however with conditions having been good for squirrels in general, there certainly has been a lot of activity on both the red and grey squirrel front!The red population in some areas appears stable, with populations in others seeming to fluctuate (which is natural) and in one or two cases reds have made an appearance where they haven’t been seen for some time – encouraging indeed. Read more>>

Announcing ‘Rowan’ – Sculpted by Kirsty Armstrong

Untitled attachment 00377This is ‘Rowan’, my fifth Red Squirrel sculpture in the series. She is a determined and mischievous juvenile, the second ‘off-spring’ of ‘Charles’ and ‘Willow’ and sister to ‘George’.

‘Rowan’ is a limited edition of 150 pieces, some of which will be cast in white resin and hand painted, and some will be made in cold-cast copper. She is life-sized and is in an autumnal woodland floor setting with newly fallen Rowan leaves, and conkers peeping out glossily from their still green casings. Rowan in either cold-cast copper or hand painted resin costs £150.00 which INCLUDES TRACKED AND INSURED POSTAGE.

I donate a percentage of my profits from each sale to red squirrel conservation projects. So far the total donated is just under £1,700 and this has gone towards research into Adenovirus and Squirrelpox virus, the development of a Squirrelpox vaccine and FLIR infrared cameras.

You can order Rowan from my ‘JUSTKIRSTY’ Folksy shop: https://folksy.com/items/6754606-Red-Squirrel-sculpture-cold-cast-copper-limited-edition-British-wildlife-art- where there is a secure checkout. To find out more about me and my work, visit my website at:  http://www.justkirsty.com/

Squirrel Knitting

Fuzzytuft-WRS-logo

Fuzzytuft knitting patterns were created and written by knitwear designer Wendy Phillips for Westmorland Red Squirrels>>. They are available as instant PDF downloads and all proceeds from the sale of each pattern will be used to help maintain a healthy population of red squirrels in South Lakeland (English Lake District). To see the range of patterns, choose from one of the two online shops listed below by clicking on the logo.

Logo-LoveKnitting-160x56     UK Shop

Logo-Etsy-160x56     Etsy Shop

Morpeth & District Red Squirrels – Autumn/Winter 2015

MAD logo

Welcome to the last edition of the Newsletter for 2015. I’m not sure where the time goes but this year seems to have flown by!

We have been extremely busy and with more people coming on board to help with grey control, MADRS has removed over 900 grey squirrels from our area up to the end of September. This has encouragingly resulted in Reds returning to cleared areas and Reds being reported in areas where we have not had sightings before. It is a constant and ongoing challenge, but with our collective efforts, there is a brighter future for our native Red Squirrels in this area! Read more>>

Red Squirrel Prints Available

Red Squirrel- Asley BoonAshley Boon, Cumbrian Wildlife Artist who has been deeply involved in Red Squirrel conservation in his part of Cumbria for a long time, has published a limited edition of 150 copies of this red squirrel print. It measures 8 1/2 x 9 3/4 inches and costs £75 with 20 per cent of each sale going to his local red squirrel conservation group.

To order, please contact Ashley at  http://www.ashleyboon.co.uk/