| Location: |
South Dakota, Brookings County, Brookings |
| Date: |
2009APR to 2009JUL |
| Observer: |
Peter Leitheiser |
| Summary: |
Richardson's ground squirrels (Spermophilus richardsonii) |
I first noticed an older ground squirrel emerging from hibernation in early April, only a few hundred meters from where Bob and Klug's nests now are, but in May, enough ground squirrels were active that when walking, I often heard the squirrel's warning "scream."
Often I could not see the squirrel making the call, because they sometimes sat at the entrance of their burrow and called just before striking below. The scream is loud and high (for the musically inclined, the pitch is about that of the C an octave higher than the highest note on a grand piano). The calls make for easy assessment of ground squirrel activity.
In late May, I first noticed young emerging from their burrows. I was surprised how close I could get if I moved very slowly. Perhaps the young, unfamiliar with their territory, assumed I was some kind of tree, or perhaps they were just to excited about venturing out to care. Even if I frightened them, they were back out exploring in a matter of seconds.
The young squirrels seemed to enjoy being out of the burrow,
trying to look out for danger like their mother.
Who wasn't so easily fooled by the camera man, and often alarmed at me.
They aged very quickly and by June were looking and behaving more like adults.
Apparently they were getting a better sense of their range, since now, they'd alarm if they saw me now, too.
By July, the young ground squirrels had become spread out, occupying several burrow systems, and were about the size of adults. By August, I stated seeing less and less of them, and by late August, I didn't see any more.
The University of Lethbridge had a nice Richardson's ground squirrel site at http://research.uleth.ca/rgs/.
Report and Photos by Peter Leitheiser