Rare red squirrel spotted for first time in decades at Bishopbriggs near Glasgow

A rare red squirrel has been spotted near Glasgow in what is believed to be one of the most southerly sightings of the species in decades.

Bishopbriggs resident Lanette Perry managed to capture the squirrel on camera earlier this month when she perched on her garden fence.

Save Scotland’s Red Squirrels said it was the first time such a sighting had been seen in recent decades and called on others in the area to keep an eye out.

Scotland is home to 75% of the UK’s redbirds, however numbers have declined in recent years due to the spread of invasive non-native grey squirrels.

Gray squirrels were first introduced from North America in the late 19th century and carry the squirrel pox virus that is deadly to red squirrels.

Save Scotland’s Red Squirrels is working hard to monitor squirrel populations and help control the spread of grey squirrels in key strategic areas.

The group, led by the Scottish Wildlife Trust, shared the sighting on social media.

Lanette Perry

They said: “We have confirmed the sighting of a red squirrel in Bishopbriggs, East Dunbartonshire! This is one of the most southerly red squirrels to have been spotted in the Scottish Midlands in recent decades.

“We can’t say exactly why this pioneering red color appeared in this place.

“This may be a testament to the efforts of staff and volunteers to control grey martens in the northern regions in recent years, or it may be a result of an increase in pine martens in the central lowlands.”

Pine martens have been observed preying on grey squirrels more often than red squirrels.

Before the grey squirrel was introduced to the UK, the red squirrel was the only squirrel in the UK. It is estimated that there are only 120,000 red squirrels left in Scotland, and there are also very small numbers in England and Wales.

It takes only 15 years for grey squirrels to completely replace red squirrels in an area, outcompeting native squirrels for food and living space.

Habitat destruction due to logging or development is another major problem currently facing red squirrels in Scotland.

Anyone who spots a red squirrel is asked to report the sighting through Save Scotland’s Red Squirrels website.

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