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| black squirrel in winter |
Our Barred owls have been active. I found an owl pellet
a couple of weeks ago (April 3rd), with black fur in it, and I assumed that he'd nailed one of my black squirrels. We're back to seeing two.
I tried to do research on black squirrels! It was tougher than I'd thought. Squirrels don't hibernate. The black ones are a relative of the gray.
Hinterland, has some info.
I was so surprised two see a pair of them, as I'd lost hope. I haven't seen the pair for awhile. It's hard to tell how long.
I assumed the mom was nursing the babies. I'm not sure if they stay together as parents, either. They were clearly twitterpated for quite a bit in late winter: up the tree, down the tree, one chasing the other. Then I only saw one.
March is their time for mating. I did read that they males do their thing and take off. Who knows? They are fun to watch!
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| Spotted this one last year |
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| sleek, black fur |
Two black squirrels from
Jennifer Jilks on
Vimeo.
9 comments:
I've always been a bit confused about blacks and grays. I once read that they are the same and just different colours, but apparently that is not correct. When I was a kid in Montreal, I didn't recall seeing blacks, but when we moved to TO, that seemed to be almost all that we saw.
Hari OM
Does this article help? Report on the science of the black and mutation. They are here in UK too.
What I can confirm is that a) squirrels most definitely do not mate for life, and b) neither do they hibernate. Here in Scotland I have seen many of them flitting around even in mid-winter. It's just that we are less likely to spot them because they, like we humans, prefer to keep inside and warm as much as possible!
They are always good entertainment though. YAM xx
The black squirrels are cute. I do not see them here, just the plain old gray squirrels. Happy Thursday, enjoy your day!
They are lovely, and the way they find food and lift it up in little pawas!!! And those bushy tails, hope they continue to visit. A COLD morning here, time to keep the fire going all night!!!
They are so cute! Here in Alberta I don't ever recall seeing a black squirrel - just red ones.
I had a mama squirrel pigging out on a bird feeder I put up at work last summer; it was fun to watch, she was quite the acrobat
They are fun to watch!
Thanks, YAM. It's not bad, but I truly do not trust journalists! Even when they quote the experts. I did find a couple of reputable sources, <A HREF="http://www.hww.ca/en/wildlife/mammals/eastern-grey-squirrel.html:>like Hinterland Who's Who</A>. You have to know that many are volunteer, amateur groups, who provide info.
I don't think I've seen any black squirrels before.
Loved watching the video, they look so cute.
All the best Jan
I've seen a few black squirrels in Illinois, but only in certain areas.
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