I know what it is

text and photos : Norma A. Hubbard  (February 2017)

It is hard to believe it was five years ago when we got to see a flying squirrels for the first time. We did not know what it was; since then we have seen them on many occasions. I was so fascinated by them that I wrote my first article, “What is it?” for Info Hemmingford. I remember Ginette Bars asking me if I would commit to five more articles, enough for the year. Now here we are, five years later, and I still write articles. This is my 30th article, so I thought it would be fitting to return to the squirrels, the American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) this time.

When Ron and I moved here from Lachine, we were used to the much larger eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), so the smaller American red squirrels looked so cute to us – and they are cute, but they can also be pests.

American red squirrels are one of the smaller ground squirrels weighing 197 to 283 g (7 to 10 oz) and measuring 270 to 385 mm (10.63 to 15.16 in) in length and this includes their tail, which is close to half of their length! They shed their body fur twice a year, but the tail sheds only once during the year. They can live up to 10 years, on average 5 years, but sadly many do not survive beyond one year. Unlike flying squirrels, red squirrels are not usually nocturnal. They are most active mornings and afternoons in the summer, and mid-day during the warmer part of the day in winters.

When it comes to nesting, they refer to live in tall pines, but they will move into just about anything. One summer, they made a nest in a pottery vase we had in our garage and last summer, a mother made a nest in a bird house! (She moved them, as you can see this in the photo). In our area, they usually have only one litter per season. Gestation is about 35 days and litters are between 1 to 8 babies. Newborns weigh just 7 grams and are blind and helpless They will leave the nest after 70 days and are considered full grown at 125 days old. The mother may leave the territory for her young, or the offspring may leave and find their own territory. This summer we had so many squirrels, at one point I counted five young ones along with a few adults. There was a lot of noise and some contact between them as they decided on territory. In the end, it all worked out.

Birds of prey, such as hawks, along with fox and coyote will prey on red squirrels. We saw this first hand last summer when we had a fox family. Although, the squirrels certainly let everyone know when the fox was around. Most of us have seen and heard these small but noisy squirrels as they make a racket to warn us to keep away. It is quite funny to watch them ‘cuss’ at me while I fill the feeders. Mind you, they are right to chatter at the dog, since we do let her chase them!

American red squirrels do not hibernate and actively search for food daily, even in winter; they also stash food in several locations – their good sense of smell helps them locate hidden food, even under snow. They eat seeds, mushrooms, berries, and often eat and store pine cones. They will raid bird nests for eggs, but are herbivores for the most part. Because they eat pine cones, as well as buds and bark off trees, they can be destructive to trees. Anyone with bird feeders knows they can be quite the menace. I have several baffles to try and keep from raiding my bird feeders, but I always leave some seeds on the ground because I do enjoy them, even though they are pests.

Source: Rubin, C. 2012. “Tamiasciurus hudsonicus” (Online), Animal Diversity Web. Accessed January 02, 2017 at www.biokids.umich.edu/accounts/Tamiasciurus_hudsonicus/