Squirrel!

Squirrels at the Feeders

January 13, Monday

Bill and I sat on the deck and watched two squirrels playing this afternoon. They scrambled through the privet hedge canopy and flung themselves into Mike’s redwood tree. They chased each other around, up and down the trunk for ten minutes. They stopped on different branches to scold and wave their tails at each other before restarting the game.

January 14, Tuesday

This morning, a squirrel dragged branches from different parts of the hedge to a spot eye-level with my office window. Through binoculars, I saw that she had created a base of woven branches for a nest. All day, I caught glimpses of her hauling more branches to the spot. Gradually, the structure grew to the size of a basketball.

From the ground, the drey looked like a bunch of leaves caught 20 feet up in the fork of tree branches. According to YouTube videos, under the camouflage was a globe-like frame of interwoven twigs and sticks. Bits of moss and leaves tucked into the gaps made the nest wind resistant. Leaves layered like shingles on a roof kept the rain out.

Beneath the thick outer layers, the inner cavity was insulated with layers of animal fur, feathers, bits of cloth, mosses, grasses, and leaves. The squirrel’s tail served as both blanket and wall heater in keeping the nest warm.

Squirrels are opportunistic nest builders. They widen the entrance to a woodpecker’s home in a hollow tree by gnawing at the opening until it is too big for a bird and just right for a squirrel. Attics are a favorite for rodents of all kinds. Before we sealed access points, a squirrel hauled garden materials into our attic and built a nest with the insulation.

Jo Ann Beard, in her essay, “The Fourth State of Matter,” describes living with squirrels in her house.

They come alive at night, throwing terrible parties in the spare bedroom, making thumps and crashes. Occasionally, a high-pitched squeal is heard amid bumps and the sound of scrabbling toenails.

Bill and I heard the squeals and the romping footsteps above. We thought the animals were on the roof. Our barn cat, Purr, who rarely came into the house, stalked back and forth across the living room, yowling, leaping onto the bookshelf and batting at the ceiling. We didn’t realize the animals were in our attic until our neighbor pointed out the loose shingle on our roof.

“Better get that fixed,” he directed. “You’ll have squirrels and God knows what in there if you don’t.”

The men we hired to replace the roof and rodent-proof our house found several old rat’s nests in addition to the squirrel’s in the attic. They pointed out quarter-sized holes under the eaves and loose vents into the crawlspace as entry points for rodents, birds, and bats.

Squirrels at the feeders

Wednesday, February 12

An hour before the storm hit this morning, two squirrels were outside. The one draped over the brick of Woodpecker’s Delight is obviously pregnant.

I made a common mistake when I saw the squirrels in January. They weren’t playing at chase; they were in the middle of the dating game. Females only accept males for a single day during their cycle. Males analyze the scent marks she leaves around her home territory to gauge how soon she will be receptive.

When the big day arrives, she might have multiple suitors; in which case, she leads them on a chase until one male remains. Their chattering and tail wagging are the language of courting squirrels. She must have liked what he said because she’s definitely expecting a litter of kittens in the next couple of weeks.

After she went back to the hedge, the male arrived from behind my office. Perched as he was, his full scrotum was on display. A squirrel’s testicles shrink into his body from August to December and descend when mating season begins. The exact timing is dependent on the availability of food. When resources are scarce, squirrels might not mate at all. I couldn’t find an answer as to what happens to the male’s gonads during bad food years.

In years of abundance, squirrels might have two litters: one in spring and one at summer’s end. Female squirrels raise their kittens alone. Once the mating is completed, she needs to build her nest and stockpile food. Her babies will be naked, deaf, and blind when they arrive in the next week or so. I probably won’t see them until May or June when they are old enough to leave the nest.

Next time: What to do if you find a baby squirrel.