Gray Squirrel Young Leaving the Nest

While out working on tree identification with my Trees and the Maine Forest students yesterday, an observant class member exclaimed, "Look, a squirrel!". As we peered upward into the old white oak (Quercus alba) just behind the varsity baseball diamond, squirrels began to seemingly appear out of nowhere. Before long there were four juvenile eastern gray squirrels (Sciurus carolinensis) resting on branches around a small cavity. These youngsters are spending some of their first time outside of the tree cavity that has been their home for approximately 10 weeks. Gray squirrels are capable of having two litters of 1-6 offspring per year. It is likely that the squirrels near you are preparing to send their second batch of youngsters out into the world right now as well. Keep your eye out for smallish squirrels with fresh looking coats and slightly less bushy tails. These are sure signs of juvenile squirrels. The mortality rate for young gray squirrels is extremely high as they acclimate to the dangers around them. Predators, car collisions, and other sources of mortality claim a high percentage (~75%) within their first few months.

Can you pick out the two young squirrels resting in the tree?

As we prepare to resume our gray squirrel research in Maine Fish and Wildlife class, it is important to be able to distinguish between juveniles and adults in the trap. We do not collar juveniles due to their high rate of mortality and their necessity to continue growing before donning some fancy neckwear. Once a squirrel is in the handling bag, it must weigh more than one pound in order to be collared. Speaking of collared squirrels, I spotted one along the Eastern Trail yesterday near the back end of the soccer field. In addition to visual observations, Ian was able to get a collared squirrel on trail camera last week! Thats right, there are still collared squirrels running around the T.A. forest. We will most likely begin trapping in year two of our research next week. There will be plenty of updates on our more high tech approach to come. Stay tuned.....

Look closely for the green collar on the squirrel's neck in this video.