WC Archive

Naturalist David Bellamy has launched a campaign to get users of camera phones in the UK, particularly Scotland, to take pictures of the endangered native Red and ubiquitous American Gray squirrels to map their migration and habitats.

Scotland is home to around 75 per cent of the UK’s 160,000 red squirrels, with around 30,000 of the species living in the Borders.

Warning of the dangers faced by the threatened red, Mr Bellamy said: "Help save this endearing native animal from extinction in Scotland."

Anyone who manages to take a picture of a squirrel is asked to e-mail the image to kleithead@scot-borders.co.uk with details of time and location.

The campaign is in coordination with Red Squirrel Week in Scotland, Sept 13th-17th. Non-camphone users who spot squirrels can also record their observations at the Red Squirrels in South Scotland Project site.

This project is reminiscent of eBird, discussed here last December.

(Via PicturePhoning, which also has a few other articles about the use of SMS for nature-related efforts.)