We have an abundance of Northern Gray Squirrels. A whole bunch! And they're feeding antics are QUITE interesting! So, this week's nature study focused on our backyard SQUIRRELS.
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| Squirrel Eating Seeds and Nuts from the Ground | | | | |
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| 6 of our Regular Squirrel Visitors |
Gray Squirrel Tidbits- they weigh approximately 16-18 ounces and are 12-21 inches in length
- their gray bushy tails are "bordered" by white
- their daily movements are within 200 yards
- females have 1-2 litters each year with 2-3 young born in each litter
- each squirrel may bury up to 1000 nuts a year
- they are primarily herbivores
- they may live up to 6 years in the wild
- they prefer to live in woodland
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| Look-out Squirrel |
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| Climbing down the Tree |
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Jumping to the Ground |
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| Eating Food from the Feeder |
During the week we noticed one of our larger squirrels had a missing tail! S/he has a 2-3" stump so the kids have affectionately called it "Stumpy". We talked about how important a squirrel's tail is to its survival - balance, agility, warmth, protection - and wonder how it'll continue to thrive.
And had a few
QUICK glances of our fleeting, timid little red squirrel.
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| Red Squirrel |
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| Red Squirrel Sharing a Feast with a Blue Jay |
We also observed a flock of MALE Dark-eyed Juncos, 7-8 Blue Jays, a few Black-capped Chickadees and Tufted Titmice, and our lone male Northern Cardinal. We were happy to see our beautiful Cardinal again! And a new species: a Red-wing Blackbird! We're
VERY excited to see this bird as he's a migrator and a sure sign of Spring!
