A red squirrel has been spotted in Bishopbriggs in “one of the most southerly Central Belt sightings in decades.”

Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels (SSRS), a conservation project funded by NatureScot, announced on August 16 that a red squirrel had been sighted in Bishopbriggs.

In a post on X, they described the creature’s appearance as “one of the most southerly red squirrel sightings in Scotland's Central Belt in recent decades.”

Describing the animal as "pionnering," SSRS put forward a couple of possible explanations for the unusual sighting.

“We cannot say exactly why this pioneering red has turned up in this location,” they said.

“It is perhaps testament to the grey control efforts in areas to the north in recent years, and possibly also as a result of increasing pine marten populations in the Central Lowlands.”

Their post included pictures and a video taken by Lanette Perry of Bishopbriggs, which show the nimble red perched on a garden fence. At one point during the video, the camera turns towards a pet dog who looks as bemused as anyone to see the wee red critter hopping along.

SSRS aims to boost red populations by controlling the numbers of their dominant grey counterparts, whose 19th century introduction into the UK had dire consequences for the smaller native squirrels.

It is also thought that increasing pine marten numbers in Scotland may help to restrict grey squirrel populations.

SSRS encourages anyone who spots a red squirrel to report the sighting at: https://scottishsquirrels.org.uk/squirrel-sightings/ with photos particularly welcome.

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