Tamiasciurus hudsonicus

Tamiasciurus hudsonicus (Red Squirrel) gathering cones for winter.

comments (10)

Christine Young

Lion

Cute! Posted 6 years ago
1. Gary B
  
  Lion
  
  I had 5 of them at my bird feeders most of the winter. I think there was a low cone crop this year. Now that it is warmer they seem to be moving back to the woods. Posted 6 years ago
2. 1. Christine Young
    
    Lion
    
    Wow! Did they get along? I ask because, in my experience, they are very territorial and feisty. Posted 6 years ago
  2. 1. Gary B
      
      Lion
      
      There were two who were very territorial and would fight with each other but most of the time the squirrels kept to separate places on or under the feeders or they would wait until one left. I noticed that they had dug many tunnels in the snow where they could hide. The bluejays were afraid of the squirrels. Posted 6 years ago
    2. 1. Christine Young
        
        Lion
        
        How neat that they dug tunnels! Kinda like snow forts. Posted 6 years ago
      2. Gary B
        
        Lion
        
        A real system of tunnels that went way back into the bushes but it is just about gone now that the snow is melting away. And today a gray squirrel showed up. Posted 6 years ago
        
        Christine Young
        
        Lion
        
        That's amazing! Posted 6 years ago
        
        Gary B
        
        Lion
        
        That gray squirrel had to travel at least two miles to get here. There is no habitat with oaks for at least that distance. Posted 6 years ago
        
        Christine Young
        
        Lion
        
        That sounds like a long way for a squirrel to travel! Do you think it came so far out of hunger? Or, do they normally show up in your area? Maybe it survived the journey on other things like pine nuts, hickory, hazelnut, etc.? We always have a lot of gray squirrels and chipmunks in CT. But, in the past few years, I've noticed a big increase in the red squirrel population. I rarely used to see them, and now they are pretty common. Posted 6 years ago
        
        Gary B
        
        Lion
        
        It may have been out of hunger. One large oak forest was logged 4 years ago with little standing timber left. The other is being logged now.
        
        Red squirrels? I know they like conifers and hazel here in MN. I wonder if they are taking advantage of bird feeders. I used to live in CT when I was in my teens but never saw a red squirrel there. Plenty of gray ones and a huge oka-hickory forest for them. Posted 6 years ago

The American red squirrel

The American red squirrel is one of three species of tree squirrel currently classified in the genus ''Tamiasciurus'' and known as pine squirrels. American red squirrels are also referred to as pine squirrels, North American red squirrels, and chickarees.

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Similar species: Rodents

Species identified by Gary B