Variety

From the trail camera there are:  whitetail deer, screech owl, fox squirrel, a timber doodle, raccoon and a long beard gobbler.

Nice variety....... 

 

Foxy Redhead

Meet Sciurus niger - the Eastern Fox Squirrel - the largest of the tree squirrel family.  The common gray squirrel is smaller.

At first blush you might guess this to be a Red Squirrel.  However, lacking in this photo is the Red Squirrel's distinctive bright white belly and white rings around the eyes.  The rusty coloring and large bushy tail are reminiscent of a fox - implying this is a Fox Squirrel. 

The bright orange pelt of this animal and it's loud, scolding call make it an easier visual and audible identification.  Unlike the Eastern Gray Squirrel this species has a wider home range and spends more time on the ground foraging. 

In the past five years they've been showing-up with increasing frequency on the trail cameras.  My conclusion is that as our forest has matured along with acorn production from the oaks is that the resident population has increased.  

This time of year their frequent appearances are a consequence of gathering stores for winter.

They're active year-round and January and February is their mating season so there's likely more chasing of the ladies happening too.

Fun to observe and without destructive tunneling behavior I'm tickled (so far anyway) to have them around.

 

Trail Camera Trapline

From the trail camera there is a strutting gobbler, a pheasant, sandhill crane and a cuddly fox squirrel...

Smile For the Trail Camera

Recent trail camera photos include a strutting gobbler, strolling sandhill crane, red fox on the run, robins picking around for breakfast, the family dog, a ditch tiger on the prowl, and a cuddly fox squirrel.

Foxy Redhead

Most of my adult life my exposure to squirrels was namely city-dwelling Eastern Gray Squirrels.  They were ubiquitous to urban life and were more of an annoyance if anything.  They raided bird feeders, gnawed-on house siding and soffit and invaded attics and fireplace chimneys.

As a young man fall grouse hunting in Vilas County always brought small red squirrels - the chattering class.

When we purchased this farmland 30 years ago there wasn't a tree-dwelling squirrel, red, gray or otherwise,  to be found.  Ground squirrels tunneled in the septic mound and took-up residence in the rock wall.  That was the extent of our known squirrel population

Beginning with 2018 another species of squirrel arrived.

Meet Sciurus niger - the Eastern Fox Squirrel - the largest of the tree squirrel family.  

At first blush you might guess this to be a Red Squirrel.  However, lacking in this photo is the Red Squirrel's distinctive bright white belly and white rings around the eyes.  At twice the size, the rusty coloring and large bushy tail are reminiscent of a fox - implying this is a Fox Squirrel.  

The bright orange pelt of this animal and it's loud, scolding call make it an easier visual and audible identification.  Unlike the Eastern Gray Squirrel this species has a wider home range and spends more time on the ground foraging. 

In the last three years they've been showing-up with increasing frequency on the trail cameras.  My conclusion is that as our forest has matured along with acorn production from the oaks is that the resident population has increased.  They are everywhere and frequently one of the more common critters appearing on the trail cameras.

They're active year-round and January and February is their mating season so there's likely more chasing of the ladies happening too.

Fun to observe and without destructive tunneling behavior I'm tickled (so far anyway) to have them around.

Busy As A Squirrel

More about acorns.

 

There are approximately 400-600 species of oak world-wide. In the United States there are 60-90 species of oak. Oaks are found in most states except the central western states. In Wisconsin, we have nine native species of oak – northern red, northern pin, pin, black, scarlet, white, swamp white, bur, and chinkapin. 

An estimated 500 to 2,300 species rely upon the oak tree, such as turkeys, woodpeckers, wood ducks, blue jays and thrushes; black bear, white-tailed deer, squirrels, opossums, rabbits, voles and mice; and hundreds of species of butterflies and moths. In addition, there are many fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms which create a symbiotic home with the oak. Of these species, 320 are found only on oak trees, and a further 229 species are rarely found on species other than oak.

 

From one of the trail cameras there is this series of photos of very busy fox squirrels, squirreling-away their stash of the abundant mast crop of acorns for the winter.

 

 

 

Stash

A couple of weeks ago I was out running the trail camera trap line and happened-upon this.

 

A cob of field corn stuck in the crotch of a sapling bur oak.

 

All the corn is already picked around here so it's likely that this curious bit of randomness might have been here awhile.

 

I don't think this is connected to humans in any fashion. If I had to guess, one of the members of my fox squirrel colony cached this here for the winter.

 

If anyone else has a better explanation I'm all ears.

 

Foxy Red Head

This rodent first appeared in our woods in 2018.  Four years later they have become quite common.  And with our oaks bearing fruit I suspect the population will continue to thrive. 

Meet Sciurus niger - the Eastern Fox Squirrel - the largest of the tree squirrel family.  The gray squirrel is more common but is slightly smaller. 

At first blush you might guess this to be a Red Squirrel.  However, lacking in the photos is the Red Squirrel's distinctive bright white belly and white rings around the eyes.  The rusty coloring and large bushy tail are reminiscent of a fox - implying this is a Fox Squirrel.  

The bright orange pelt of this animal and it's loud, scolding call make it an easier visual and audible identification.  Unlike the Eastern Gray Squirrel this species has a wider home range and spends more time on the ground foraging.  Just like this picture suggests.... 

 

 

This species also buries nuts for retrieval at a future date - which probably accounts for all the tiny oak trees popping-up around the joint.

Woodland Redhead

For most of my adult life my exposure to squirrels was namely city-dwelling Eastern Gray Squirrels.  They were ubiquitous to urban life and were more of an annoyance if anything.  They raided bird feeders, gnawed-on house siding and soffit and invaded attics and fireplace chimneys.

And for many years there were no tree-dwelling squirrels here at The Platz.  Ground squirrels tunneled in the septic mound and took-up residence in the rock wall.  That was the extent of our known squirrel population

Beginning with 2018 another species of squirrel arrived.   

Meet Sciurus niger - the Eastern Fox Squirrel - the largest of the tree squirrel family although slightly smaller than the common gray squirrel. 

At first blush you might guess this to be a Red Squirrel.  However, lacking in this photo is the Red Squirrel's distinctive bright white belly and white rings around the eyes.  The rusty coloring and large bushy tail are reminiscent of a fox - implying this is a Fox Squirrel.  

The bright orange pelt of this animal and it's loud, scolding call make it an easier visual and audible identification.  Unlike the Eastern Gray Squirrel this species has a wider home range and spends more time on the ground foraging. 

In the last three years they've been showing-up with increasing frequency on the trail cameras.  My conclusion is that as our forest has matured along with acorn production from the oaks is that the resident population has increased. 

They're active year-round and January and February is their mating season so there's likely more chasing of the ladies happening too.

Fun to observe and without destructive tunneling behavior I'm tickled (so far anyway) to have them around.

Caught Squirreling-Away!

 

Meet Sciurus niger - the Eastern Fox Squirrel - a large species of tree squirrel native to North America.  And we've been observing plenty of harvest activity from this busy rodent. 

From time to time this species produces black squirrels with a white belly, nose and white-tipped ears.  Thus is the translation from Latin - Sciurus niger - black squirrel.  The typical bright orange pelt of this animal and it's loud, scolding call make it an easier visual and audible identification.  

 

Unlike the Eastern Gray Squirrel this species has a wider home range and spends more time on the ground foraging.  Like this....

 

click on images for a closer look

 

They return with their food to a preferred dining location.  If you happen-upon a debris midden of corn cobs and split nutshells you will have found ‘that spot’.

This species doesn't hibernate.  They do put-on extra fat reserves going into the winter and they also bury food for retrieval at a future date - which probably accounts for all the tiny oak trees popping-up around the joint.  This squirreling-away of food for a future meal is called scatter hoarding.

 

The resident fox squirrels have been making a trip to a neighboring corn field and returning with entire corn cobs.  It is unclear if this is for immediate consumption or a winter stash.  Either way, it's not a short trip.  

These are squirrels on a fast-food mission!

 

Like the little oaks popping-up here and there I wonder if undiscovered corn will yield a woodland corn crop next year?