Red squirrels are a much-loved animal in the UK, demonstration through inspiring several storybooks and sitting pride of place on the Bank of Scotland notes. The cultural impact of red squirrels in the UK cannot be understated, so why are they left clinging to the fringes of scattered woodlands? Only around 237,000 red squirrels are thought to remain in the UK, with 75% of the population located in Scotland. Previously the population was thought to have reached 3.5 million before disease, competition, and habitat loss chipped away at red squirrel numbers. 

Pine martens have also suffered a similar story and were pushed to the brink by persecution and habitat loss. However, pine martens are making a steady comeback across the country with the help of several dedicated conservation projects. Though it would be easy to assume these two animals would be natural enemies, their co-evolution and current circumstance potentially hint at something different. There has been evidence to suggest that the presence of pine martens indirectly benefits red squirrels through the predation of grey squirrels. With the current public interest in both species and likelihood of spotting them both in the same area we requested that anyone carrying out a survey for the annual monitoring programme also report any pine marten sightings, though they were not required to.

With the end of the spring survey I’m happy to share that 249 surveys were undertaken this year and some of these surveys also included pine marten sightings, which is very exciting! We made a few changes to the survey form for 2026 in an effort to make submitting your survey results easier and collect some other useful information. The feedback from this year will be used to make small changes to next year's survey; if there’s anything you’d like me to hear please send us an email at info@rsne.org.uk. From now I’ll be verifying and validating submitted surveys before analysing the results and releasing the annual report towards the end of the year. As always please watch this space for any new information and get in touch if you’d like to assist with next year’s survey!

Thank you again to all the amazing volunteers and staff who make the survey possible.