We have 5 very regular (hungry/ healthy) Grey Sq. here by Union Village (elev. ~780 ‘)
1 red showed up recently. Used to have 5+ reds…..may just be ebb and flow of wild food resources.
I trapped out 12 chipmunks this fall.
If anyone would like an extra Grey, I am happy to oblige.
Our experience on Elm St. in Norwich village has been similar to what others are reporting. A gradual trend over the last
20 years of decreasing red squirrels and increasing gray squirrels. When we first moved into town in 1993, we had zero gray squirrels – only reds. Now we have plenty of grays. We’ve also noticed the occasional (apparent?) hybrid which appears to be a cross?
Does anyone know with certainty if they crossbreed?
After watching them consume several pounds of sunflower seeds a day the last few years, we’ve had good luck this year with
a “Droll Yankee” brand feeder which has perches that collapse when anything heavier than a cardinal lands on them. This successfully dumps the gray squirrels on the ground, keeping them off the feeder. We’ll see if they figure out a way to outsmart it as
the season progresses…
Interesting, Donna! I usually have a majority of red squirrels and some grays in this mixed woods, but I have also noticed a couple of squirrels that are bigger than the usual reds and
seem to be a cross between the two. I thought that the two did not interbreed. Maybe they do?
On Jan 3, 2016, at 6:42 PM, Donna Nelson wrote:
We have had red squirrels at our feeders here for 30 years, and grays on an occasional basis the past few years. We don't have oaks here, so gray squirrels do not have their preferred food.
This year, however, we have one squirrel which appears to be a cross between the two species. It is nearly twice as large as a red, but much smaller than a gray, and is white underneath, but red and gray on back and sides. VCE says it is a red, but I am not
convinced.
Interesting times...
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