Squirrels
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Pile of Douglas Fir cone pieces Photo: Wikipedia
Walking through the forest at Sound View, I often find piles of Douglas Fir cone pieces near a stump of a log. When I see these, I know a squirrel is likely nearby. Every once in a while when I look for a bird making a chirping sound in the trees, I look up only to find it was actually a squirrel sounding off an alarm call.
Squirrels are another common animal we see around camp and in many other areas of Washington. Washington is home to nine squirrel and chipmunk species. Seven of those are native to Washington and the other 2 were introduced to the area by humans. Both squirrels and chipmunks belong to the rodent order along with mice, rats, beavers, hamsters, and more. The word rodent comes from a Latin word that means “to gnaw.” The front, incisor, teeth of rodents never stop growing so they are known for the fact that they frequently chew on things to help wear those teeth down.
Douglas Squirrel Photo: http://naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/facts/douglas_squirrel_712.html
The most common squirrel seen in most neighborhoods and urban parks is the Eastern Grey Squirrel which is a non-native squirrel introduced in the early 1900’s. The native Western Grey Squirrel is labeled as a threatened species as it gets out-competed by non-native squirrels and is also facing disease and habitat loss.
The squirrel I see frequently running up the sides of trees at camp is the Douglas Squirrel. They are smaller than grey squirrels and have reddish fur on their belly. These squirrels are the culprits of the piles of discarded Douglas Fir cone bits. These piles, leftover from the squirrel’s meal of eating the seeds inside, are often called “middens.” Here is a video of a Douglas Squirrel’s alarm call: https://www.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=CEPr0ndcTsU
Northern Flying Squirrel Photo: nicbutler.weebly.com/
Most squirrels are diurnal, active during the day, or crepuscular, active during the morning and evening. However, one of Washington’s native squirrels is nocturnal, active during the night. This is the Northern Flying Squirrel. Despite the name, they do not fly. However, they can glide from tree to tree, thanks to the skin between their front and back legs that they use like a parachute.
Squirrels are foragers. eating whatever they can find in the forest. Most of their diet consists of nuts and seeds, but they also eat berries, insects, leaves, and mushrooms.
Chipmunks are very similar to squirrels. They can be identified by the black and white stripes that run down their back. They also have cheek pouches that they can hold food and other material in as they run through the forest.
Both squirrels and chipmunks cache food around the forest so they can have a supply of food in the winter, when food is less available. Sometimes their food cashes remain unused or they forget where they put it. This helps the forest grow because they often cache seeds of the trees and bushes in the area. If these planted seeds are not dug up for later use, they grow into new plants.
