Nature & Wildlife

Here is our situation. The property next to ours is almost fifty acres and is very beautiful. We have often fantasized about what it would be like to own that amount of property, or at least own some of it. We have discovered along the way that the owners of the property live out west. There have been many discussions as to how to contact them. A phone call or perhaps a letter of inquiry. Often, individuals in Maine will sit on a piece of property for a number of years and then sell it to logging companies for profit. Sometimes, it’s possible to get in touch with property owners and make a purchase before the logging companies ever get involved. Logging would be an awful outcome in this situation, because this particular piece covers a good amount of area alongside our road. For it to be cut would indeed ruin the local wooded beauty and would leave the birds and wildlife without homes. If you have ever seen a logged piece of land, you know it looks like there was an apocalypse. We have a pretty substantial amount of property ourselves, but can you ever have too much land? Especially in a beautiful state like Maine.

We got to talking about this piece of property with friends of ours and our conversations sparked their interest in it as well. Among the group, there have been all sorts of wishful methods for acquiring this piece of property. First, we would have to find out what the owner’s intentions are regarding its sale and how much this whole thing would cost. Before all of that, we would have to take a look at what we were dealing with. This is where our exploration of the property comes into play.

It was a beautiful and sunny Sunday afternoon when our friends came over for a day of exploration of the property in the snow. As we broke trail, I got to thinking about how I was the only female in the group. I also thought about how being the only female during these types of events has been a common occurrence throughout my life. I’ll tell you a bit about that now.

When I was younger, I used to spend a lot of time with my best pal, Lauriana from grade school. In school and during recess, we spent most of out time with the boys. The girls would jump rope and play with each other’s hair. My friend and I enjoyed G.I. Joe and the A-Team, which were favorites of the boys. To this day, I have yet to learn how to french braid hair. Perhaps, I would have picked up such skills if I had spent recess with the other girls every once in a while. During the summer, when my mother was working, Lauriana’s older sisters would watch my siblings and me. This made the summers quite enjoyable. Not only did we see each other at school, we also got to spend our break together too. This all ended when she moved away to Florida. We kept in touch and we are still in touch to this day, but her move sure changed things. There were no worries though, because I still had my brother and little sister. Before my sister was born, it was just my brother and me. My brother and I always got along and spent a lot of time together. We are only fourteen months apart and we would wrestle and horse around quite frequently. There was one time during one of our wrestling sessions that my brother’s two front deciduous teeth somehow ended up stuck in my head. Now, there is something you don’t see every day or in fact, experience at all – ever. He was too young and it was much too early for him to lose these teeth. With my mother’s quick thinking, she was able to get his teeth back into his mouth with ice. With some pressure, the teeth stayed where they were supposed to. You would think that we would have learned our lesson from this experience, but alas, our horse playing continued into our adult years.

Back in the day, before play dates, social media and the cell phones of today, people’s parents made plans to get together in person or on the phone. Sometimes people simply decided to spend time with each other. A lot of my parents’ friends had sons. When all of us got together, I would often be the only girl in the group of children. I didn’t mind it though, because we lived in an apartment and didn’t have our own property. Playing with the boys, I got to spend time hanging around in tree houses, riding bikes, running around in the woods, swimming and passing through other people’s yards.

When I was older and we moved to the suburbs, there was only one other girl for me to spend time with on our road. We sometimes played basketball and often saw each other at school. We both have last names that start with a “G” so we saw each other in home room for six years. Other than that, the neighborhood consisted of only boys. I didn’t mind this at all though because we “ran” the neighborhood and got into all kinds of innocent trouble. I recently got back in touch with one of my old neighbors, Mike, on Facebook. To make sure it was really me and before we became “friends,” he wanted to know if I was Laura, A.J.’s sister. This used to happen quite often as I was growing up. I was always referred to as A.J.’s sister and the amusing part is, I’m the older one! I have always been treated like the younger sibling. I suppose I will never rid myself of this title.

Anyway, back to the hike of today. As the guys walked ahead of me doing their thing, I was able to take many photographs during our time exploring the property next door. The land doesn’t have any posted signs, so according to the law in Maine, we weren’t trespassing and were able to proceed as far as we wanted to. We made quite a few discoveries along the way and we finally got to see how beautiful this piece of land truly is.

The beginning of our walk.

Snow-filled trees.

The sun coming through the trees.

A snow-covered landscape.

Before we moved on to the property next door, I had the boys pose for a group photograph.

Breaking the trail.

A bright winter afternoon.

A thick snow trail.

Here is the brook that runs parallel with our road. We often spend a lot of time on the brook on our own property.

A snowy brook.

Moving right along through the woods.

Looking to the west.

Taking a break to play.

Playing on a snow covered downed tree.

Another group shot in the snow.

A frozen section of the brook.

The ice melting on the brook.

The shore of the brook.

Walking on the frozen section of the brook.

The end of our hike and back home.

After our great hike through the snow, we got back to the house and enjoyed some hot tea to warm up. During one of our trips to Reny’s after Christmas, I had picked up a box of Stash’s Christmas in Paris herbal tea. It was on clearance and I thought it was worth a try. The tea is a blend of chocolate, lavender and peppermint. I am not a big fan of chocolate and minty combinations of anything, but this tea was actually quite nice. Maybe it had something to do with the introduction of lavender. The tea was a big hit all around. I think the lavender balanced things out and the tea was a nice substitute for the more traditional hot chocolate that usually comes after a big hike in the snow.

At the end of the day, I think we had quite an enjoyable time. There were a couple of tumbles in the terrain and one mishap with a foot getting wet in the brook, but all in all it was yet another good day with the boys. Inquiring about the property would have to wait for another day, but you never know what will happen in the future!

One of my favorite activities during the winter is to get outdoors and track animals in the snow. We have quite a substantial amount of open and wooded property here in Maine, with a pond, brook and stream. The area is also rich with a diverse amount of wildlife, so you never know what types of wildlife or evidence thereof, you may come across while out in the field.

The following photographs are of a variety of animal tracks, scat and other evidence of wildlife presence here on the property. I have gathered these photographs throughout the month of January. We have experienced a good amount of snowfall and freezing rain with frigid cold this month, as well as warmer days. While some of the photographs show fresh tracks, others are distorted from freezing and thawing.

Currently, there is a pretty good amount of snow on the ground, with more expected to fall this week. I usually fare pretty well getting around in the cold weather and snow while out looking for animal tracks. I usually tolerate the cold without issue. I wear several layers of clothing and a fleece ear warmer headband. My hands and feet are another story. There is nothing more annoying when you are out in the field taking photographs than when your feet and hands are cold. I have solved my cold feet problem by wearing Baffin women’s ice field insulated boots. These boots have been a real lifesaver for keeping my feet warm and dry. As of now, the snow is coming up to my knees and in some areas on the property, up to my thighs. These Baffin boots are very efficient at keeping the snow out, with a web-lacing system and drawstring collar at the top. There is also a Thermaplush inner boot system that keeps warmth in. They are so warm in fact, that I sometimes don’t wear socks and my feet feel quite toasty while outdoors. These boots also claim the wearer of these boots will experience a comfort level, even when the thermometer reaches -148 degrees Fahrenheit. Well, I don’t think I will ever be testing that claim, but I am quite pleased with these boots in our winter temperatures. I am still working on my cold hands though. There are days that I can get by with my current pairs of gloves, but I am on the hunt for a good pair of winter photography gloves. Does anyone have any suggestions?

My pair of Baffin women’s ice field insulated boots.

I added studs to the bottoms for extra traction. There are a few missing from this season and I will have to replace these soon.

Now for the animal tracking. The first tracks I found were American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus) tracks. This wasn’t too difficult, because I have had up to eight of these critters visiting my bird feeders. To no surprise, I found their tracks in the woods close to the house.

Finding fresh American red squirrel tracks in the snow.

American red squirrel tracks in the snow.

An American red squirrel tunnel in the snow. These squirrels have created a whole network of tunnels around the property. With every fresh snowfall, they make more. This is very smart on their part. They can get around quickly and are also well protected from predators.

There are a nice mixture of deciduous, pines, conifers as well as plenty of water sources located on the property. It should come as no surprise that I would find an abundance of evidence of white-tailed deer.

White-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) scat in the snow.

White-tailed deer tracks crossing the ice on the brook.

More white-tailed deer scat in the snow.

I believe these may have been the tracks of a white-footed mouse (Peromyscus leucopus).

Here you can see the rodent’s foot tracks as well as where the tail left a trail in the snow.

This has been one of my favorite animals to track. For some reason, I haven’t seen any snowshoe hare (Lepus americanus) tracks since my first winter here. I actually got to see a lot of this snowshoe hare over the summer and I was hoping it would stick around for the winter. Now all I have to do is find the hare in the snow. By this time the coat of the hare will be changing to white in order for it to be camouflaged in the snow. I also believe I may have been tracking three different hares. A few of the tracks were fresh and very different in size.

Snowshoe hare tracks during the winter.

Distorted snowshoe hare tracks in the snow.

Snowshoe hare tracks in the snow.

Snowshoe hare scat on the snow.

Following snowshoe hare tracks.

Snowshoe hare tracks on a snow-filled hill.

Here I found what I think could have been fox (Canidae) scat. There were no tracks around the area in the snow, so there was no sure way to tell. Whatever is was, you can see that it had consumed an animal, because of the fur that it contained.

Later in the day, I had found what I thought could be the tracks of the fox. The gait was too long to be that of a cat and the size of the tracks were too small to be that of a coyote. It was difficult to tell, because of how distorted the tracks were. Does anyone have any suggestions?

There haven’t been wild turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) on the property since the fall. I found what seemed to be the tracks of just one of these birds. We had experienced freezing rain the night before and these tracks were quite distorted.

Wild turkey tracks in the snow.

Wild turkey scat in the snow.

Now for my most exciting find. For the past month or so, we have been experiencing a skunk-like smell around the property and every so often, in the house. We thought this was quite peculiar for this time of year. I decided to investigate near the edge of the stream and I couldn’t believe what I saw. I found mink (Mustela vison) tracks coming out of the stream and leading into the woods. These animals have anal scent glands that make a strong smelling musky liquid that is discharged when the animal is disturbed or excited. I think this could be the source of this mysterious odor and we may indeed have our first resident mink on the property.

The edge of the stream.

Here you can see where the mink was climbing out of the stream.

Fresh mink tracks in the snow.

Mink tracks in the snow.

Mink tracks along a few young pine trees (Pinus).

I was hoping this could be where the mink has made one of its dens. Mink will make dens in a variety of areas including along stream banks. These animals will use a den for a few days and then move on. They also leave a pile of feces outside their den. I will have to look further for more signs to find out where the mink has taken up residence along the stream.

I also hope to catch a glimpse of all these animals while out in the woods and have the opportunity to photograph one of these fascinating creatures. I am also holding onto the hope of spotting a moose and not just its tracks!

We had our first big snowstorm of the year a couple of days ago. The day before it snowed, we received a bit of rain and then the temperatures had fallen well below freezing. The ice has allowed for the snow to remain on the tree branches, allowing for beautiful winter photography. Perhaps this hasn’t been so great for the birds though. Or has it? Have you ever wondered how the birds survive harsh winters? No worries, Mother Nature has this taken care of. The birds are very good at prepping for our winters, especially here in New England. Birds are experts at finding shelter, acquiring and storing food and their bodies have evolved to withstand harsh weather as well.

Birds will use thick and dense vegetation for shelter. We have plenty of thick pines here in Maine that provide excellent shelter for the birds. Many bird species take advantage of dead or downed deciduous and evergreen trees for protection. Birds will also nest in cavities that provide protection from the harsh elements. Bird species that are well known cavity-nesters include black-capped chickadees, downy woodpeckers and white-breasted nuthatches.

During the months prior to the cold weather setting in, birds will begin to store fat. Of the bird species that I have mention above, these birds also have strategies for hoarding and storing food for the winter. These birds will store hundreds, or even thousands of seeds each year. Even more remarkably, these birds remember their food hiding places.

Birds have also evolved to withstand the harsh elements. Their feathers provide an excellent buffer from the wind, rain and snow. In regards to their legs and feet, birds also have a counter-current heat exchange system. This means that the blood vessels going to and from their feet are very close together, so blood flowing back to the body is warmed by blood flowing to the feet. Most birds will also not succumb to frostbite, because there is so little fluid in the cells of their feet. Their feet are mostly made up of tendons and bones with little muscle or nerve tissue.

During prolonged bad weather conditions, I’m sure these survival tactics are put to the test. I also believe nature can be resilient in these matters. Birds are experts at preparing and then hunkering down in bad weather. After the storm is over and the sun is shining the birds are back to their usual behavior. The following photographs are of a few of the birds on the property enjoying yet another day of sunshine here in Maine. These birds also don’t go without, I provide them with plenty of seed and suet to help them get through the winter.

(f/6, 1/500 second, ISO 200, 55-250 @ 55mm)

Downy woodpecker (Picoides pubescens)

(f/5.6, 1/500 second, ISO 160, 55-250 @ 55mm)

Black-capped chickadee (Poecile atricapillus)

(f/6.3, 1/500 second, ISO 200, 55-250 @ 55mm)

White-breasted nuthatch (Sitta carolinensis)

(f/6.3, 1/500 second, ISO 500, 55-250 @ 55mm)

Black-capped chickadee

(f/6, 1/500 second, ISO 250, 55-250 @ 55mm)

White-breasted nuthatch

(f/6.3, 1/500 second, ISO 250, 55-250 @ 55mm)

Black-capped chickadee

(f/6.3, 1/500 second, ISO 160, 55-250 @ 55mm)

Black-capped chickadee

(f/7.1, 1/500 second, ISO 100, 55-250 @ 55mm)

Black-capped chickadee

(f/6, 1/500 second, ISO 100, 55-250 @ 55mm)

Black-capped chickadee

(f/6, 1/500 second, ISO 250, 55-250 @ 55mm)

Black-capped chickadee

(f/5.6, 1/500 second, ISO 250, 55-250 @ 55mm)

Downy woodpecker

(f/6.3, 1/500 second, ISO 400, 55-250 @ 55mm)

White-breasted nuthatch

(f/6.3, 1/500 second, ISO 400, 55-250 @ 55mm)

Black-capped chickadee

(f/5.6, 1/500 second, ISO 160, 55-250 @ 55mm)

Black-capped chickadee

(f/6.3, 1/500 second, ISO 160, 55-250 @ 55mm)

Downy woodpecker

(f/5.6, 1/500 second, ISO 400, 55-250 @ 55mm)

White-breasted nuthatch

The blue jay (Cyanocitta cristata) is one of the most common resident birds and visitors at bird feeders here in New England. Have you ever wondered what these common songbirds symbolize? After doing a bit of research, I have discovered that these birds symbolize curiosity, communication, and intelligence. I also discovered that blue jays also represent fearlessness and protection. If you have ever taken the time to really watch these birds in regards to how they interact with one another, these descriptions are pretty accurate. Along with their intelligence, blue jays are also known for their complex social systems that they form through tight family bonds.

One of my favorite times for watching these birds is during the late summer into early fall. I have an abundance of blue jays in the back yard and at the feeders during this time. It is quite fascinating to watch these birds interact with each other. They arrive at the feeders in large groups and take over for a bit during the summer. The other species of birds scatter and give way for the blue jays. I space the feeders out enough, so there is plenty of food for all of the species of birds to enjoy. My favorite sight is watching the adults feed the young birds. The adults are very protective of their young. I also get a kick out of the bald blue jays during the month of August. This is a common sight at that time of year and is completely normal. This is simply due to molting and then their baldness will be replaced with feathers. I believe there is an abundance of these bald blue jays in the yard during this time of year because the families of these birds frequently stick together. I will have to get a few photographs of this entertaining event this coming summer.

This past summer, I had to save a blue jay from a sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus) attack. I had been working on the computer and I heard a horrible sound coming from outside one of the open windows. It sounded like something was being murdered. Indeed, it was; there was about to be the murder of a blue jay. I ran outside to see what was going on and on the side of the house a sharp-shinned hawk was in hot pursuit of a blue jay. The closest thing I had at hand were the tomatoes from the garden. I grabbed a green tomato and threw it into the general area of the scuffle and it stunned the hawk enough to let go of the blue jay it had in its beak. The blue jay got away and the hawk had to find a meal elsewhere. These hawks are fierce hunters and that blue jay sure put up a good fight for its life. It sure lived up to its fearless blue jay reputation. I usually don’t like to interfere with nature, but I was in the area to come to the blue jay’s rescue.

The following photographs are a collection that I have taken around the yard and I will share a bit more information about this brilliant species of bird.

Blue jays are a large songbird with a crest that may raised or lowered according to the bird’s mood. These birds are between 9 and 12 inches in length. The males and females are almost identical, but the male is slightly larger. Observers may be able distinguish between the sexes based on behavior.

The plumage of the blue jay is a lavender-blue to mid-blue in the crest, back, wings, and tail and its face is white. The underside is off-white and the neck is collared with black that extends to the sides of its head. The primary feathers of the wings and tail are strongly barred with black, sky-bluish and white spots. The bill, legs and eyes are all black.

The voice of the blue jay is a harsh slurring jeeah or jay as well as a musical queedle, queedle and many other notes. These birds will frequently mimic the calls of hawks, especially the red-shouldered hawk (Buteo lineatus) and red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis). These calls are thought to provide information to other blue jays that a hawk is around or may be used to deceive other species of birds into believing a hawk is in the area. These birds can also be very aggressive and territorial. Groups of blue jays often attack intruders and predators.

Blue jays can often be observed at the edges of forests. These birds especially like to consume acorns and they are often found near oaks (Fagaceae), deciduous forests and woodlots, as well as towns, cities and parks.

Blue jays are intelligent and adaptable omnivores and may feed on almost anything. These birds eat fruits, acorns, seeds, nuts, insects, mice and frogs. Sometimes a blue jay will raid the nests of other birds for eggs and young. The blue jay is also a seed spreader. They often bury or hide their food and consume it later. Blue jays also take full advantage of bird feeders. Many bird lovers dislike the presence of blue jays at their feeders. These birds often drive other birds away from bird feeders, but they are usually outranked by other competing birds or animals such as squirrels (Sciuridae). Feeder competition can be remedied by adding more feeders and spacing them out.

The courtship of the blue jay may involve aerial chases. They often mate for life, remaining with their social mate throughout the year. Blue jays will become quiet and inconspicuous around the nest, but will attack with loud calls if the nest is threatened by a predator. Females will lay 4-5, sometimes 3-7 eggs. They are greenish or buff, sometimes pale blue, spotted with brown and gray. Eggs are incubation is by both parents, for about 16-18 days. Both parents bring food for nestlings. Young leave nest 17-21 days after hatching.

Resources used for this post:

allaboutbirds.org & audubon.org

With only a few hours left of this year, I decided to share a few photographs from a quiet and beautiful hike we had taken recently. We made sure to take advantage of a beautiful sunny day here in Maine. Now that hunting season is over, there are more days open to us during the week for hiking in the woods. We hope to get out as much as possible and take advantage of more sunshine-filled days over the winter. We found this trail during the fall and wanted to come back for a winter hike. The trail is lined with beautiful pines and at one point there is a wooden bridge that crosses a serene brook. I found these particular images quite fitting for today. They are of a peaceful and tranquil setting and are almost symbolic of a time for self-reflection. I hope you enjoy the following photographs and take the time to reflect with your own thoughts from this past year.

An open gate at the beginning of the trail.

This part of the trail was a sheet of ice. We think a natural spring may be feeding this area. I suppose it will be iced over from now on until the spring. Instead of ice skating on the trail in my boots, I found walking along the snow to be a bit easier.

A snow covered bridge on the trail.

Another view of the snow covered trail.

A view of the bridge that crosses over the brook.

A snow covered brook along the trail.

A view of the icy brook through the trees.

Walking a slight incline in the trail.

The sun shining through the pines.

A clearing in the trail.

The section of trail where cars, trucks and jeeps are not permitted.

A sun burst over the bog.

Rules for trail users.

The sun going down over the brook.

Pines along the trail.

A quiet cabin in the woods along the trail.

On the way home, we stopped for photographs of this snow covered field.

Hay bales wrapped in plastic sitting in the snow.

We also stopped by Clearwater Lake in Industry as the sun was setting.

I am not one for New Year’s resolutions, but I do hope to continue growing as a photographer and I can’t wait to see where the future will take me. I am looking forward to new experiences and meeting new people. I also can’t wait to share my future adventures with all of you. May this year bring new happiness, new goals and new achievements. Out with the old and in with the new. Happy New Year!

In previous posts, I have mentioned my preference for keeping the bird feeders as a squirrel-free zone. We have been here in Maine for five years as of last month. I had lucked out for a while, without the feeders being taken over by squirrels. It wasn’t until about a couple of years ago, that I had my first eastern gray squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis) invade my feeders. Since then, the word must have spread among the rodent family (Sciuridae), because I now have several troublemakers trying to sneak food from the feeders every chance they get. Members of this troublemaker family include eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis), flying squirrels (Pteromyini or Petauristini), eastern chipmunk (Tamias striatus) and my most recent visitor, the American red squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus).

For a few months now, I have only had to deal with two American red squirrels coming to the feeders on occasion. The number of these squirrels has increased these past weeks and as of yesterday, there are now seven American red squirrels coming to the feeders. That’s right, folks, I said seven American red squirrels! It has been quite entertaining watching this group of squirrels and how they all interact with each other. Groups of American red squirrels are also known as “dray” or a “scurry.” As of late, there has been a lot of chasing, fighting, verbal disagreements and in general, a lot of bad behavior. In this post, I would like to share a few photographs of these squirrels and their activities as well as some information on the American red squirrel.

In order to deter the squirrels from getting into the feeders, I have been putting some bird seed out on the ground and this seems to work out most days. This practice has also helped in feeding the birds that don’t like to use the feeders on a regular basis, such as some of the mourning doves (Zenaida macroura) and dark-eyed juncos (Junco hyemalis). They would rather stay close to the ground.

Three American red squirrels eating bird seed.

Four American red squirrels eating bird seed in the snow.

This way of providing the red squirrels with a food source has seemed to work out, that is, until they begin to disagree over the territory. Here is a short video of one of these disagreements. You really need to watch this closely.

Another fascinating thing about these squirrels is the system of tunnels they have constructed to get to this food source. The squirrels made these tunnels after the snow fell recently. When the tunnels were formed, the snow was still soft, but it iced over quickly. This is pretty smart, being the usual vegetation they could otherwise utilize for camouflage has since disappeared for the season. A recent common threat of the squirrels and the birds has been the introduction of a sharp-shinned hawk (Accipiter striatus) to the area. I have seen this hawk kill a couple of birds in the yard and at the feeders and it is an awful thing to witness. If I see the hawk in the area, I will keep the feeders inside. I understand the ways of nature, but I hope this helps to reduce the risk of further deaths.

An American red squirrel coming out of its snow tunnel.

An American red squirrel standing outside of its snow tunnel.

Now for the troublemaker of the group. There is one brazen red squirrel that thinks she has a free pass when it comes to eating from the feeders. Upon closer inspection of this squirrel, I believe it is a female. I have lost count as to how many times I have had to stop what I was doing and get her off of the feeders. Sometimes she acts totally shocked that she is being scolded and sometimes she just ignores me. I have had to remove the feeders with her still in them and she will jump out just before I bring them back into the house. This little dance of ours goes on almost every day. I am still bringing the feeders in at night and I’m glad these squirrels usually leave around 3 o’clock in the afternoon. This way, the birds can feed without interruption for an hour or so before it gets too dark and the feeders are back inside the house. Here are a couple of photographs of my favorite American red squirrel I love to hate. She drives me crazy sometimes, but I do enjoy watching her and the others and taking photographs of them. I believe we do in fact have a classic love/hate relationship happening here.

An American red squirrel in the bird feeder.

An American red squirrel eating stolen bird seed.

An American red squirrel eating an apples slice from the “salad bar.”

I would also like to switch gears and share some information about this species of squirrel.

The American red squirrel is one of three species of tree squirrels currently classified in the genus (Tamiasciurus) and the squirrel family (Sciuridae), belonging to the order (Rodentia).

The American red squirrel is also known as the pine squirrel, North American red squirrel, boomer, fairydiddle and chickaree.

The American red squirrel is a small mammal with reddish to reddish-gray fur on top and a white or cream underside. It it 7 to 8 inches long, excluding the tail and weighs about 5 to 9 ounces. These squirrels have white around their eyes and a bushy tail. In the winter, they get tufts of hairs at the tips of their ears. In the summer, these squirrel may have a black stripe on its sides. They have curved front claws and powerful hind legs, making them very good climbers and jumpers.

The American red squirrel is found in coniferous, deciduous and mixed coniferous-deciduous forests.

American red squirrels lead solitary lives and will aggressively defend their territory. Territories average between 2 to 5 acres. These squirrels are very vocal and they chatter, growl and screech.

American red squirrels are primarily granivores (seed predators). A large part of their diet is made up of pine seeds. These squirrels also eat a wide-variety of foods including insects, seeds, bark, nuts, fruits, mushrooms and pine seeds or cones. They will sometimes consume insects, young birds, mice and rabbits.

Mating season is in the late winter. American red squirrels are spontaneous ovulators. Females will enter estrus for only one day, but venture from their territory prior to ovulation. Males will compete with one another for the opportunity to mate with the estrous female. Estrous females will mate with 4 to 16 males.

These squirrels make their nests in a variety of places including hollows in the ground, in tree hollows, logs or crotches in trees. About a month after mating, the female will have a litter of between three to seven young, called kittens. Young are weaned after seven or eight weeks and will leave their mother when they are about 18 weeks old.

The American red squirrel is found in the Rocky Mountain states and in the eastern United States south to northern Virginia and west to Illinois, Indiana and Ohio as well as parts of Alaska and Canada. These squirrels are not found in most of the Great Plains or in the southeastern United States, because conifer trees are not common in those areas.

The main predators of the American red squirrel include the Canadian lynx (Lynx canadensis), bobcat (Lynx rufus), coyote (Canis latrans), great horned owl (Bubo virginianus), northern goshawk (Accipiter gentilis), red-tailed hawk (Buteo jamaicensis), American crow (Corvus brachyrynchos), American marten (Martes americana), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), gray fox (Urocyon cinereoargenteus), wolf (Canis lupus), and weasel (Mustela sp.).