| Location: |
South Dakota, Brookings County, Brookings, McCrory Garden (Google Map) |
| Date: |
2008SEP to 2011JUL |
| Observer: |
Peter Leitheiser |
| Summary: |
Fox squirrel (Sciurus niger) |
Fall of 2008 was a year with a good crop of Bur Oak (Quercus macrocarpa). Although oak trees are not abundant here compared to east coast hardwood forests, the squirrels still spent a lot of time burying acorns and digging them back up come winter.
Even after snow fell, the squirrels still searched by tunneling under the snow.
Other over-winter foods included various species of crab apples, pine, and maple, which in addition to the acorns fed the squirrels well into the new year.
By March 2009, the squirrels were also licking maple sap from the trees. The weather had begun to warm enough so that the snow started melting significantly.
The squirrels seemed to be more active, and spent more time playing in the warmer weather.
Once spring came, the squirrels began eating more greens -- buds, leaves, and blossoms, although I generally didn't see the squirrels very often.
In September 2009, many squirrels congregated at a grove of black walnut trees (Juglans nigra).
There where they spent many hours removing the husks and gnawing through the tough shells, eating them until there were piles of shells and the squirrel's paws and cheeks were stained red-brown from the husk's oil. Some squirrels hauled the nuts, one by one, back to their home areas, sometimes several hundred meters away.
The Oaks, however, produced almost nothing. I didn't see any Oak tree in town with a substantial amount of acorns. This is the masting behavior of many types of trees, especially hardwoods -- years of plenty followed by years of low or no production.
My winter observation area is several hundred meters from the walnuts, so the squirrel's winter foods in 2009-2010 were mostly crab apples, maple, and pine cones once again.
After the snow melted, spring was a time of searching for edibles that the blanket of snow might have concealed.
In the fall of 2010, the walnut produced a small crop and the acorns again produced almost nothing. The squirrels have been eating maple, pine, and apple, but without many nuts, the winter was a little hungrier than average, but the squirrels seemed to make it through alright until the sugar maples began producing sap, and on to spring, when human food provided a diversion from the vegetables that the squirrels would normally be forced to eat. They are now working on the pine nuts again. The walnut and acorn seem to be coming along well this year -- this will be a good year for the squirrels.
The Setting
My observations were mostly made in the southernmost 6 hectares (15 acre) of the garden where I estimate there is a population of 9 to 12 fox squirrels.
Hectare demarcations are shown in white.
The Cast
There are quite a few squirrels out there, but my skill at identifying them only lets me tell a few apart and only with limited accuracy, I'm afraid. Here's what I have so far:
Bobby ( < 2009NOV27 - 2010APR29 x )
Probably born in the spring of 2009 or summer 2008, Bobby was a nice female squirrel who had two male pups, but died before bringing them to maturity.
Rusty ( < 2010FEB23 - 2011 > ) -- a playful male who I used to see often, but who has been missing for a few months now.
He's not afraid of the camera.
Klug ( < 2009DEC18 - 2010MAY11 > ) -- a clever squirrel who I used to see pretty often.
Charlie -- An laid back old male who I see on occasion, although he looks the same as Klug, so I have trouble telling them apart.
Vexil -- (No-tail) a male squirrel who lost most of his tail over a year ago. I see him passing through once in awhile.
Barry - An old male who I haven't seen recently.
Penny -- a female squirrel who I hadn't seen until she turned up recently. She's the only female I know of currently in my observation area, but I haven't seen her in awhile.
Report and Photos by Peter Leitheiser