Affordable Housing

Inspected and cleaned nest boxes today. Fifty of them. 

 

Evicted four families of mice and in a Caddy Shack moment Jill was attacked by a squirrel hiding in a box.

 

After three decades of building these this is the final nest box design. Constructed of cedar they’re very durable. The right side wall flips-up for cleaning or inspection.   Took a page from Henry Ford's book on manufacturing - interchangeable parts make for efficient repairs.  Affordable housing for cavity nesting songbirds.

 

 

Our woods was thinned during COVID and now that the canopy has been opened all sorta natural regeneration is happening.  Like these spruce seedlings. 

 

The resident pileated woodpeckers are disassembling this snag.

 

 

Recently deceased coyote. I wonder what the backstory is.

 

 

Fetched a load of firewood from the north forty. Including a Smirnoff Ice bottle from the ditch.  Not from my tribe.

 

A whitetail that didn’t survive winter.   I wonder about the backstory. 

 

 

Me and my side kick catching some rays with a Guatemalan Lager

 

 

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.

Breakfast of Champions

Once and a while I'm fortunate to get a photo of a raptor on one of the trail cameras. This is not anywhere near as spectacular as the bald eagle photos from earlier this spring but it is interesting nonetheless.    

 

A red-tailed hawk. 

 

 

Over a period covering fifteen minutes the camera recorded this bird dining-upon its prey.    

 

 

I wonder if it was one of the fox squirrels photographed earlier at the same location.......

 

click on images for a closer look

 

Foxy Redhead

Meet Sciurus niger - the Eastern Fox Squirrel - the largest species of tree squirrel native to North America. 

click on image for a closer look

At first blush you might guess this to be a Red Squirrel.  Fox squirrels are the larger of the two and have rusty brown fur with a pale yellow to orange belly.  Lacking in this photo is the Red Squirrel's distinctive bright white belly and more pronounced white rings around the eyes.  The rusty coloring and large bushy tail are reminiscent of a fox - implying this is a Fox Squirrel.  From time to time this species produces black squirrels with a white belly, nose and white-tipped ears.  The translation of the Latin - Sciurus niger - is black 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.  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 buries nuts for retrieval at a future date - which probably accounts for all the tiny oak trees popping-up around the joint.

Woodland Redhead

This handsome mammal has been showing-up regularly on the trail cameras so the habitat around here must be sufficiently stocked with food and cover since just one of these critters has a home range of up  to fifty acres. 

click on image for a closer look

 

Meet Sciurus niger - the Eastern Fox Squirrel - the largest species of tree squirrel native to North America.  

At first blush you might guess this to be a Red Squirrel.  Fox squirrels are the larger of the two and have rusty brown fur with a pale yellow to orange belly.  Lacking in this photo is the Red Squirrel's distinctive bright white belly and more pronounced 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.  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’. 

Grabbing the Nobble

This is rather funny - in a juvenile sort of way. 

Might also make a terrific squirrel deterrent.

Thanks BBC.....

Foxy

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.  Just like this picture suggests....   

Lazarus

Ordinarily I wouldn't make a big production about wildlife in my yard unless their behavior or conditions of their existence begin to become destructive or cause other harm.  If you chose to live in rural America critters are part of the landscape and you share it with them. 

Having said that - if a groundhog begins tunneling and undermining the foundation of your barn you may have to intervene.  Same for mice in your basement.  Or a colony of sociopathic German yellow jacket wasps in the wall of your wife’s potting shed.   Speaking about insect infestations – how about a million, bazillion stinky lady bugs sunning themselves on the sunny side of your house before they move in for the winter?  Ugh.   And then there is the reoccurring matter of ground squirrels tunneling and inhabiting your mound system – or POWTS (Private Onsite Wastewater Treatment System). 

Don’t get me wrong, I have nothing personal against ground squirrels – the Thirteen-lined ground squirrel - Spermophilus tridecemlineatus in particular.  I bear them no grudge.  Nevertheless, the construction of a septic mound and all of its attendant operating systems is quite expensive and to risk its operating efficiency or life span at the hands of tunneling rodents comes with no small amount of consternation.  I have attempted live-trapping them to tittle effect.  They are masters of eventually escaping thru the bars of my smallest live trap.  I dare not attempt poisoning them as a dead squirrel may cause no small amount of harm to a curious and hungry Labrador retriever.  I could shoot them like a sniper – yet that requires rising early and burning daylight when other pressing shores demand attention.  Or there is the always reliable Victor Rat Trap.  Or is it? 

I recently set the trap in the photo – baited with irresistible peanut butter and anchored by means of a stiff wire inserted into the turf – namely to prevent an overnight varmint from easily carrying-off the trap along with a deceased squirrel. 

Twice I found the trap was sprung, the bait gone and no squirrel corpse to provide evidence of its efficacy.  Although it is entirely possible another predator absconded with any deceased squirrel caught in the trap. 

And then one day – as I was working in the garden – I discerned an audible SNAP!  Focusing on the mound I spied a squirrel twitching in the trap and immediately falling still.  I allowed the situation to chill for about twenty minutes and calmly walked to the trap, opened the spring-loaded bale and dropped a presumably dead squirrel to the ground.  Setting the trap aside I reached to pick-up the decedent for disposal when it suddenly arose from the dead and limped sideways in a crab-like fashion about ten feet from me.  This rodent was obviously not well - yet seemingly far from the grip of death. 
 
Determined to end its misery I walked back to the garage to fetch a pistol and returned to the squirrel that had now launched into a loud and clamorous, chattering alarm call.  Chambering a round I prepared to deliver a merciful coup de grâce when the squirrel (now seemingly unimpaired) darted away and disappeared from view with normal ground squirrel haste. 
 
I am not quick to invoke biblical connation to such inexplicable events but that rodent was the gopher equivalent of Lazarus.  Probably a good thing I didn’t shoot it as it was meant to live on.  Meanwhile, they’re still burrowing in the mound and likely a bit more wary of the trap and the guy in the garden. 
 
Back to the drawing board....
  

Mysterious Tree Damage

Last Wednesday I posted evidence of tree damage in my woods. 

click on image for a closer look

 

Bark stripped and shredded from the limbs of live ash trees.  Having never seen anything like this before I was puzzled as to who or what did this. 

I sent my photos over to my pal Jamie who is a biologist and Senior Wildlife Outreach Specialist with UW Extension and she immediately emailed me an answer. 

Bark stripping by tree squirrels - grey or fox and hopefully my trail camera will confirm this by catching them in the act.

I knew we had both species of squirrel in the woods yet I've never encountered evidence of this behavior.  Sure, beavers, porcupine, mice and rabbits will gnaw and strip bark from a tree.  I guess I can add squirrels to the list too.  As it turns-out, squirrels prefer to strip branches that are horizontal, but have been known to strip trunks too. The damage can be extensive.  Bark stripping generally occurs in late winter - yet it can occur in the spring if trees don't produce mast.

There are all sorts of theories for this behavior - including discomfort caused by pregnancy, snacking and just plain enjoyment.  Even the scientists are not completely sure of the root cause.  Go figure.  You can learn more about bark stripping here.

Big Game Animal

click on the immage to enlarge

Meet Sciurus carolinensis - the Eastern Gray Squirrel.  You're probably thinking I'm color blind because that squirrel is a redhead - hardly gray.

Actually it is a black morph - overall black with a red-like sheen.  The tail is red too.  They're common around these parts.  Besides, it's too large to be a true red squirrel..