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Gray Squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis)

Gray Squirrel |Stillwater, MN

Bird Feeder Desperadoes

While we need to remember that squirrels are native wildlife, and are not endowed with a concept of "private property", they can be a bird lover's nightmare. Not only do they eat expensive food, often tearing feeders apart to get at it; their presence is often enough to frighten most birds away. Only jays and crows tend to take a stand against them. What can you do? See our feeder link. We've created a section for those who want to put the time and effort into protecting their feeders, and another for those who enjoy observing their rodent neighbors.

In the summer Gray Squirrels construct nests out of bark, oak leaves and branches, creating an entrance near the trunk of the tree. These nests are large, and fairly easy to spot. They look like giant balls of leaves. They usually spend the winter in the hollow of a tree, which they also line with leaves and bark. Sometimes these winter and summer.

The Gray Squirrel's diet consists of seeds and nuts (a lot of acorns), mushrooms, insects, eggs and even young birds. They will also strip the bark off of young trees to get at the tasty sap beneath, and, like other rodent, will also eat bones, shells, and horns for the calcium. Gray Squirrel females usually give birth to four to seven young, though only about half to a third of these usually survive the first year. Mothers rear the young alone, and males are not allowed near the nest.

Some interesting facts about the Eastern Gray Squirrel:

• Eastern Gray Squirrels often run the same route along tree branches day after day. They're very habit-oriented animals, and the Red Fox knows it. Red Fox have been observed "conditioning" squirrels to run up a certain tree when chased. When the fox suddenly appears below the chosen tree with open jaws, the squirrels will dart right towards it and get snatched up.
• Gray Squirrels will often dig shallow holes to bury acorns. While their incredible sense of smell allows them to locate most of them even in the winter, they usually leave behind ten to fifteen percent, promoting forest growth.
• The Eastern Gray Squirrel is a prodigious swimmer. According to Wellesely College's website, it can swim up to two miles in calm waters!
• Been seeing more Squirrels than usual lately? The deciduous trees in your area may have produced a bumper crop lately. Deciduous trees have evolved to stagger their bumper crops by every three or four years, preventing Gray Squirrels populations from growing so large that they would decimate the forest.

Multimedia:

Gray Squirrel "bark" | (150 KB WAV Audio) | Stillwater, MN	Gray Squirrel; Black Morph | Stillwater, MN	Gray Squirrel Trail Markers; Tracks | Stillwater, MN
Gray Squirrel Trail Markers; Digging | Stillwater, MN

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Want to Learn More?

In an effort to make our site as comprehensive as possible, we have supplemented our online park and wildlife survey with other educational resources. Every book we recommend has been hand-picked by a Beyond Main Street volunteer. 7.5% of all proceeds from the links below go to help Beyond Main Street build a larger, more comprehensive site!

	National Audubon Society's Field Guide to Mammals
	America's Favorite Backyard Wildlife
	Tracking and the Art of Seeing

*Submissions are full and credited property of their original owner. The name of the sender will be printed below the submission unless otherwise requested. BMS maintains one-time printing rights only. For legal reasons, all video and photography must be your own work. If there is a copyright on it, you must own it. Video, photos, and writing must have been created in Minnesota or surrounding area to be added to our database.