Squirrels???

[NMCA_Ron]

I recently went to my brother's place in the Kansas City area and noticed they have Gray Squirrels. Not 45 minutes away, my place is inundated with Red Fox Squirrels and just to the west of my place in the next county over, they have squirrels that are coal black. Does anyone know how many different variants of nut munchers exist in North America? How about our friends down under? Do they also have tree rats to deal with? It would be cool if you all could include a pic of your local varmints for identification purposes.

Ron

[shadow]

I did a little checking, I stopped at 10 species and that doesn't include ground squirrel's.

[NMCA_Ron]

The reason I asked is because some of the squirrels I see in the forum are not the same color/size as the ones I am accustomed to in my neck of the woods. The squirrels around my place are big, fat red ones with really full tails. Since I have been looking around on the forum, I have noticed at least 3 types of squirrels different from those around here.

Ron

[leftcoast1]

I'll try to get a picture  and name of the common one in my area. The fox nut muncher is protected in my state.

We have grey ones here in wisconsin.

[Gene_SC]

Aren't those calledFox Squirrels, the redish ones with bushy tails?

Gene

[leftcoast1]

Here are the 3 species of tree squirrels in Florida and one ground. First is the Southern Flying Nutter. Second is the Fox Nutter. Third is the Gray Nutter. The ground nutter is a chipmunk. A lot of people hunt the Gray and it has a season for hunting. None of the Grays in the city are very big. It would be like eating a goldfish for fish instead of grouper.

[NMCA_Ron]

Gene_SC - 8/22/2007  5:03 PM



Aren't those called Fox Squirrels, the redish ones with bushy tails?

Gene

Gene,

Dems da little buggers thats been gnawin' on my trees and diggin' up my yard!

Seems odd to see them without a reticle superimposed on them...

Ron

Up here in rabbit's (Ronnie) and my neck of the woods there are some areas where these little guys aren't too difficult to find, but nobody that I know ever hunts 'em:

http://www.whitesquirrelart.com/

They've migrated into various places over the years, having once been confined mostly to the Brevard/Transylvania Co. area of western NC, and last time I was on the the Blue Ridge Community College campus south of town, they were running all over the place. Amazing that they've survived, considering how much easier they'd be spotted by potential predators (the live kind, not the lead kind ;~)

Bryan

[keithvi]

In my neighborhood (City of Baton Rouge, LA) I have seen two of these white nutters over the last five years.  Mostly greys and reds in my neighbors trees

: )

[davee1]

I dont have no pics, but I got out my North American Wildlife book and looked them up. There are 4 kinds in the US. Grey, Red, Fox, and Flying. The black ones are likely just a color phase of the Gray, unless they have white nose/ears which would be a Fox Squirrel. The Fox squirrel is the biggest of the bunch, comin in at 10~15 inch body length. The Gray is 8~10 inches, Red is 7~8 inches, and the Flying is ~6 inch. Note that these measurements do not include the tail.

The Fox Squirrel is the only one that waves its tail, all the others flick their tails. The Fox Squirrel is also the most variable in color. It can be reddish, rusty-orangey, grayish, sometimes a dark head with white nose/ears, and an all black phase with white nose/ears.

The Gray is usually gray above and white below, except for the dark blackish phase.

The Red is usually reddish or yellowish-reddish above and white below, and is sometimes seen with a black line along its sides.

The Flying Squirrel is the least variable of the Genus, being small and olive-brown above and white below. It has been recorded gliding125 feet when it has a high enough take off point.

[JMG]

Hmm I have only seen grey's around my neighborhood, and Texas has an open season on squirrels with no bag limit. I got one at my old house in the backyard and I payed dearly for it. Hehe the ex/GF and her daughter were not impressed to say the least lol.

John

[davee1]

Around here I leave the tree squirrels alone cause they dont do nothin bad...its the ground squirrels that screw everything up. They are sniped regularly. Its the only thing wifegirl approves of.

Here in Bexar County, Texas, I see mostly grey squirrels.  There are six pecan trees in the yard, two good sized magnolias in the front, and the squirrels STILL like the bird seed my lovely bride (married 40 years this last week)  puts out when the weather gets too cold for her.  I love watching most of the wild life in the yard, including numerous doves.  The squirrels are at their best playing tag/hide & seek!

There are varmints which impose:  snakes, rats, mice, possums, raccoons, grackels and my neighbor's cats are unwelcome.

Grackels are protected migrant birds.  The dogs usually tree the others, with the notable exception of a raccoon they chased into the swimming pool and a brood of kittens the mother cat  located too near our fence.

I've established a blind on occasion to deal with the mice which set up housekeeping my a Mustang my son parked in the back yard for a couple of years (one of his projects).  Tool of choice there has been a Webley Baracuda .22 springer.  A night -time ruckus with a treed rat or mouse is usually resolved with a .22 rifle and a round of rat shot.  I've got two smoothbore .22 rimfires to handle this job now, a Marlin .22 magnum Garden Gun and a Lakefield .22 LR single shot, both bolt actions.

Generally the possums will move to a neighbor's yard if I prod 'em with a pole.

All birds except the grackels are welcome, but the grackels don't seem to care.

Gee, I'm long winded today!  I started writing this because of the squirrels in my sister's yard in Orlando, FL.  They're considerably smaller than the greys where I live, but the oddest thing is that their tails have such skimpy fur on them their tails can be clearly seen beneath the fur.  The first several times I watched them, I was concerned they were diseased.  Now I realize that's just the normal way for a Florida squirrel to look.  So, I wondered if anyone else has noticed any other oddities in the squirrel world according to neighborhood.

No, I don't hunt the cats.  I will, however, discourage them from visiting with a Crosman 1377c and three pumps driving a wadcutter pellet.  I won't take the shot unless I can be sure not to hit 'em in the head.