NSR: operating squirrel condo - Question randyo

[Stig / Major Tom]

Now that leaves have fallen due to a recent drought, and a cold snap, I spotted 5 squirrel nests in two of my trees yesterday.
Do they build more than one each?....are they sharing?

So, 5 nests = 5 squirrels?
What say you randyo ?

my attention was drawn up to the trees - because, "Flower", my daughter's favorite black squirrel with white-tipped tail - was raising a ruckus above me. I think she wanted me to leave so she could get down.
She's the lower dark thing - the dark nest is visible above her.



Counted 4 more nests in the birch next to Flower's tree,




I've noticed that this gang does not seem to get along with one another...out back at the water dishes.
A few years ago, I sat on the patio and watched a squirrel run back and forth cutting leaves and carrying them to another tree to build his nest.
Stig

[randyo]

no clue, especially black species, we only have grays & reds here in NNE and I only have a few grays in my yard, never seen more than 1 nest in a tree. I do know that they store acorns everywhere, and maybe the multiple nests are only nut storage

fwiw, we are having a phenomenal acorn drop this year, ground covered so that you can't see the ground anymore, over an inch deep, = next summer a lot of squirrel road kill, more turkeys and more coyotes

[Neil955i]

Grey squirrels far outnumber the indigenous Reds* here now and from my experience I'd say more than one nest per tree is unusual.  As Randy surmises, maybe nut stores?  As for nuts & fruit I've noticed that many of our Hawthorns are loaded with berries this year.  In the old days, when I was a lad, this was taken to be an infallible sign of a hard winter to come.  Somehow I doubt that holds good these days?

* I'd have to drive about 4 hours from my house to see one!

[randyo]

Grey squirrels far outnumber the indigenous Reds* here now and from my experience I'd say more than one nest per tree is unusual.  As Randy surmises, maybe nut stores?  As for nuts & fruit I've noticed that many of our Hawthorns are loaded with berries this year.  In the old days, when I was a lad, this was taken to be an infallible sign of a hard winter to come.  Somehow I doubt that holds good these days?

* I'd have to drive about 4 hours from my house to see one!

grays outnumber reds where I am too, but the dividing line where reds start outnumbering grays is not that far north of me. Primary food source here is red oak acorns, next would be beechnuts. But mostly, I have chipmunks.

[mrmike]

   Here in Syracuse my wife just got interested in bird watching. I hung a couple of feeders and several suet cages to attract different species. She also heard that the Bluejays love peanuts, so she started putting peanuts out every few days. Well, it's true the Bluejays do love the peanuts, but so do the squirrels. Now when she puts out peanuts, we'll have 6 or 7 squirrels on our deck in a matter of minutes. 

[randyo]

I've only had 1 experience with black squirrels, on a camping trip in Quebec along north side of Ottawa River, they were so aggressive, we ended up eating in our car, couldn't eat at the picnic table, squirrels were right there chattering and stealing off our plates

[Stig / Major Tom]

I've only had 1 experience with black squirrels, on a camping trip in Quebec along north side of Ottawa River, they were so aggressive, we ended up eating in our car, couldn't eat at the picnic table, squirrels were right there chattering and stealing off our plates

We had the same experience one day at the local state park. Set up for lunch at a picnic table near some woods.
Then we watched as a group of raccoons appeared from the trees and slowly, aggressively, surrounded us!
We weren't attacked - or anything.....but it was unnerving enough that we packed up and departed!

Raccoons and possums appear in our back yard - only at night. Which is quite enough for my wife and daughter. If the pup needs a potty break - it's the front yard!

[JJJoseph]

Bluejays do love the peanuts, but so do the squirrels

I buy bird seed soaked in hot sauce.  The birds don't mind (they have no sense of taste), but the squirrels hate the flavor.  Regardless, I'm not a squirrel-lover.  They're carnivorous little rodentsthat eat birds.  I wish I could still shoot them like in the old days!

[Iahawk]

I buy bird seed soaked in hot sauce.  The birds don't mind (they have no sense of taste), but the squirrels hate the flavor.  Regardless, I'm not a squirrel-lover.  They're carnivorous little rodentsthat eat birds.  I wish I could still shoot them like in the old days!

I grew up in a big, old house that had squirrels chew their way into the attic and I clearly remember scratching sounds in the 2nd floor walls as a kid. To this day I 'may' aim the car at the little tree rats when I see them in the street...

[randyo]

I grew up in a big, old house that had squirrels chew their way into the attic and I clearly remember scratching sounds in the 2nd floor walls as a kid. To this day I 'may' aim the car at the little tree rats when I see them in the street...

we had bats in our attic, used to have bats in my barn where I live now, but haven't seen em in several years, I think they got wiped out by white nose syndrome

I got mice in the walls in my house, not so much in the summer, but as cold weather, I should get a cat again

[monkeybongos]

Several years ago I was up in a tree, pruning dead limbs. A bunch of sticks and leaves had accumulated in the fork of branches, so I started shaking the tree to get them out.

As you’ve probably guessed, turns out it was a squirrel’s nest, and the next thing I know there’s a baby squirrel hanging by one arm from a branch right in front of me. The look on his face said “ what are you doing, man?  I wasn’t doing anything to you!”

Feeling awful, I took a twig, got him to grab it, put him back in the nest and quickly climbed down. Within a minute the mom came frantically through the treetops, picked up her baby and raced off to get away from the madman.

Since then I can’t help but appreciate squirrels. The expression on that little guys face!  And they’ve gotta be one of the most acrobatic, athletic creatures on the planet.

Although some once moved into the attic when I dilly-dallied on a house repair rearranging some insulation along waking us up numerous nights. Their persistence is impressive, as it was a battle to keep them out.

Hope you guys don’t intentionally kill any, enough get flattened on the roads as it is.

[Neil955i]

Great story MonkeyBongos, I agree 100%.  I'd never deliberately harm one though they are known here too as "tree rats".

[mrmike]

I buy bird seed soaked in hot sauce.  The birds don't mind (they have no sense of taste), but the squirrels hate the flavor.  Regardless, I'm not a squirrel-lover.  They're carnivorous little rodentsthat eat birds.  I wish I could still shoot them like in the old days!

  I buy the Red-Hot bird seed bells and suet. If we don't put peanuts out for several days, the squirrels get hungry and will
eat those too.