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New research underway to track urban squirrels in Aberdeen
The research teams will be using VHF radio and GPS tracking to monitor the urban squirrels.

Results will inform red squirrel conservation programmes.

New, ground-breaking research by the University of the Highlands and Islands, in collaboration with the Scottish Wildlife Trust, aims to better understand how grey squirrels live and move in urban areas.

Currently, very little is known about the habitat preferences, movement corridors and home range size of grey squirrels. Researchers are aiming to gather information by monitoring the movements of ten grey squirrels in Aberdeen between late March and July.

The research is funded by Forestry and Land Scotland and will be carried out under a special licence from NatureScot. The teams will be using VHF (Very High Frequency) radio and GPS (Global Positioning System) tracking to monitor the squirrels.

Since 2007, a targeted grey squirrel control programme has been in place in the Aberdeenshire countryside, in order to help preserve red squirrel populations which struggle to compete with their grey counterparts.

The results of this new study will provide further support to red squirrel conservation in the region.

Research Fellow at Inverness College UHI, Dr Louise de Raad, said: “This exciting research will make use of the latest GPS tracking equipment that has become small enough to be fitted to grey squirrels.

“This will allow us to gain a much better understanding of grey squirrel ecology in a semi-urban environment and investigate what their preferred habitats are, how large their home ranges are, how far they travel in a day and whether they make use of movement corridors.

“This will inform best practices for grey squirrel population control and make a significant contribution to red squirrel conservation”.

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Reporting service for dead wild birds updated

News Story 1
 The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has updated its online reporting service for dead wild birds.

The new version allows those reporting a dead bird to drop a pin on a map when reporting the location. It also includes a wider range of wild bird species groups to select from when describing the bird.

The online service, which helps APHA to monitor the spread of diseases such as avian influenza, can be accessed here. 

Click here for more...
News Shorts
NI chief vet urges bluetongue vigilance

Northern Ireland's chief veterinary officer (CVO) has urged farmers to be vigilant for signs of bluetongue, after the Animal and Plant Health Agency warned there was a very high probability of further cases in Great Britain.

There have been 126 confirmed cases of bluetongue virus serotype 3 in England since November 2023, with no cases reported in Northern Ireland. The movement of live ruminants from Great Britain to Northern Ireland is currently suspended.

According to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA), the virus is most likely to enter Northern Ireland through infected animals or germplasm (semen or ova) being imported.

Brian Dooher, Northern Ireland's CVO, said: "Surveillance for this disease within Northern Ireland has been increased to assist with detection at the earliest opportunity which will facilitate more effective control measures."

Farmers should report any suspicions of the disease to their private veterinary practitioner, the DAERA Helpline on 0300 200 7840 or their local DAERA Direct Veterinary Office.