The New Bird Species!

New Bird Species

After I started feeding the birds, I didn’t think it would be long before the squirrels learned that the food was floating near them. Here is a squirrel that William caught a picture of one afternoon when he got home from school. The squirrel was swinging and dangling to try to eat. He did get a belly full.

I also had a feeder hanging for goldfinches which was torn open. I am assuming the squirrel leaped onto the little white sack and hung on until it ripped open. Can’t you almost hear the squeals of delight knowing that food just landed everywhere!

I don’t mind the squirrels eating the food, it is there for all, but it does mean I have to buy more to keep everyone satisfied.

Squirrel Facts
Eastern Gray Squirrel Sciurus carolinensis
At-a-Glance
• Mating: Polygamous
• Peak Breeding Activity: Two periods of the year—December-January and May-June
• Gestation: 44 days
• Young are Born: February to March and July to August
• Litter Size: 2 or 3
• Young Leave Parents: At 14 - 15 weeks
Number of Litters per Year: 1 or 2
• Migration Patterns: Year-round resident
• Typical Foods: Nuts, seeds, and fruits of hickory, beech, oak, black walnut, tulip tree, sugar maple, flowering dogwood, buckeye, wild grape, pawpaw, persimmon, butternut, and black cherry, also insects.
* Found on the Ohio DNR website http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/Home/species_a_to_z/SpeciesGuideIndex/graysquirrel/tabid/6646/Default.aspx