People who feed the birds are often annoyed by red squirrels, but others find them amusing, and they're good for the ecosystem.
Red Squirrels, Tamiasciurus hudsonicus, are small rodents of North America found in coniferous and mixed forests of the north including Alaska, Canada (except above the tree line), and throughout the Rocky and Appalachian mountain ranges.
Red squirrels grow to a length of about 28 – 35 cm (11 – 14 in) including their long bushy tails. They are brown to reddish brown on the back while their under parts are tan or white. A white band surrounds the eye.
Creatures of the trees, red squirrels have long toes and sharp claws that enable them to climb vertical surfaces and travel quickly through their treetop habitat. They typically nest in holes and forks in trees, but sometimes nest and overwinter in underground tunnels, particularly where the winter climate is harsh.
Red Squirrels Do Well in Human Communities
Wherever they find coniferous trees and suitable places to nest, red squirrels thrive. They do particularly well in urban communities that have plenty of mature trees because there tends to be an absence of predators such as hawks and pine martens in these places (although the roaming domestic cat is more of a threat) than in the wilderness.
Birdfeeders and other edibles provided by humans support relatively high populations in urban and rural settings. In backyards, red squirrels annoy people by eating roots, twigs, and shoots of growing plants; nuts, seeds, and fruit left out or stored for birds, and even flower bulbs. They also eat seeds from cones, bark and leaves, tree sap, insects, fungi, birds’ eggs, nestlings, baby mammals, and reptiles. Hoarders, they carry food back to the nest and also stash it in other places.
Living with Red Squirrels, the Good and the Bad
Some people deliberately feed red squirrels, and enjoy having them around:
Red squirrels are charming and fun to watch as they feed themselves, and run through the trees. Their antics and acrobatics are fascinating.
Burying seeds from wild plants and spreading beneficial fungi through wooded areas, they support the growth and health of trees.
As a food source, they may attract birds of prey such as owls and hawks, and other predators that are seldom seen in urban settings.
Some go to considerable lengths to get rid of them:
Red squirrels can chew bird feeders and birdhouses, ruining them.
They commonly empty birdfeeders before the birds have a chance to feed.
Red squirrels raid birds’ nests, eating eggs and young.
They can damage garden plants and commercial crops.
They sometimes invade buildings, building nests in the attic.
Dealing with Red Squirrels, Dos and Don’ts
Try to enjoy your red squirrels. If you must pit yourself against them, keep these things in mind.
locate feeders far from trees and other structures that squirrels can jump from.
discourage them from visiting birdfeeders by providing a squirrel feeder.
avoid cruelty and inhumane removal methods.
Don’t:
add cayenne pepper to bird seed as it may irritate eyes of both birds and squirrels.
seal off nests trapping young inside.
live trap adults during the breeding season (March – September).
Note: relocating red squirrels is usually not a good idea because you will probably move them into territory already occupied by others. This not only stresses the squirrels, it may spread disease.
Sources:
"Squirrels." Canadian Federation of Humane Societies.
"When Squirrels Become a Nuisance." Jenny Costello. Nova Scotia Canada: Department of Natural Resources
The copyright of the article Birds, Feeders, and Red Squirrels in Birds is owned by Rosemary Drisdelle. Permission to republish Birds, Feeders, and Red Squirrels in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
You are talking about the Grey Squirrel, not the Red Squirrel.
Feb 16, 2009 3:37 AM
Rosemary Drisdelle :
While much of the information may apply to Grey Squirrels as well, this
article is specifically about Red Squirrels. The Grey Squirrel does not
occur in my area and I have little personal experience with it. I believe
that, as a feeder nuisance, it far surpasses the Red Squirrel. If you have
experiences with either species, feel free to share them here.
Jun 14, 2009 8:08 PM
Guest
:
Red squirrels are by far the meanest of all the squirrels we have here in
northwestern PA. I have a bird feeder which often below it are black, grey
and fox squirrels. They all often chase each other away. But the red
squirrel chases off chipmunks and even other birds who always feed
peacefully beside the other squirrels. Sometimes i will have a couple
different squirrels feeding about 5 feet from one another. Not with the red
one. They cannot tolerate even the sight of another squirrel. They are
jumpy, hyper and their behavior well tells that they are much more
aggressive. My bird feeder is weight-activated. Baffles are no good,
since it is always accessed by a squirrel from the side. I have been
through several brands of weight-activation feeders. This squirrel is so
light, it won't even set off the weight activation on most of these
feeders. And i have 'rigged' these feeders so they are even lighter than
the lightest setting, from the companies that make them. Problem is, with
such a light setting, only a finch or two can feed from them now at a time.
Talk about very frustrated birds, who also are more prone to disease due to
stress and 'over-flocking', as in fighting for a perch to feed from. Before
all this, there was plenty of room with the 9 perches that held most
average sized seed feeding birds. The other squirrels are larger, thus
heavier, and gave up after a couple tries. I used to be able to keep it on
a setting that worked well for the number of birds and the other squirrels
ate what fell to the ground, peacefully and happily for all. I have
nowhere else to place this feeder. If you saw my front yard, you'd
understand why. And as for squirrel feeders, they add to the attraction of
wildlife at night, such as bear. I take in my sunflower seed feeder at
night and my nyjer seed feeder. Sorry, but i don't need another to bring
in. Now that it is light enough that his small weight 'closes' it, he
continues to hang on the feeder and squeezes his head through the metal
bars in order to chew on the plastic part of it. Will not take no for an
answer! All the other squirrels have always just dropped to the ground
after seeing they were unable to reach any seed from it. Not the red
squirrel!! Sad, since when i first encountered these tiny, colorful
squirrels, i thought they were the cutest things i ever saw! Not
anymore. I am left with having to trap them and have them relocated. I
hate to do it, but i feel i have no other choice-
Jun 16, 2009 8:47 AM
Guest
:
..and in my opinion, if all young squirrels who have been completely weaned
from their mother must go find their own territory, i would think a
full-grown squirrel, who is well experienced with skills to survive
already, would have an easier time finding a new home as opposed to the
youngster. I would rather relocate than use a trap to kill. And i will take
him/her to an area that is very similar to the one he/she already resides
in. A place over 12 miles away with some woods, yet a few houses and old
deserted hunting camps within a few miles of the relocation site. There is
also a large lake, some farmland, and is away from a busy highway. I really
can't think of a better place to give the squirrel a chance to live as
opposed to killing it. I love wildlife, but cannot have an animal who is
causing destruction to my home, let alone my bird feeder. And i know they
breed in late winter/early spring and then will breed again in mid to late
summer. Right now seems to be the best time i can think of. I'd rather not
wait till late fall/early winter or during the winter (according to you're
time frame to relocate) We have harsh, cold winters here, and it would seem
to me that it would be cruel to relocate then. Any other advice would be
appreciated. I want to do this where & when would give the squirrel the
best chance of survival-
Jun 16, 2009 10:14 AM
Rosemary Drisdelle :
I sympathize with those who find red squirrels an unbearable nuisance.
Personally, however, I would not attempt to relocate them for the following
reasons: you may be relocating them into territory already occupied by
other squirrels where they will be completely unwelcome, there is the
possibility of spreading disease to new places, and it's highly likely that
the territory they leave empty will be promptly filled by others. I suspect
it would be a complete waste of time. Onerous and irritating though it is,
I'd focus on deterrence, home maintenance, and tolerance of nature to keep
peace with the squirrels.
Jun 17, 2009 11:15 AM
Guest
:
I did catch and relocate the little red squirrel to the area i described to
you. I can only hope he/she is one of the less than 50% that survive
relocation. I well know more will come given enough time. But i have only
ever seen 2 red squirrels in the 7 years of feeding my birds. They are
apparently not very common in my direct area. And ALL the squirrels the
area come here. I have a buffet of food for them since the birds 'feed' the
squirrels with the fallen seed. I find it very enjoyable to watch them all
together :) If only the little red squirrels were not so
light-weighted, they would not be able to access the seeds in my
weight-activated feeder. And if only they weren't so determined to damage
it after i 'lightened' it more to close under their weight (-which again
greatly lessened my amount of birds, even the smallest, due to their own
weight). The other squirrels just jump to the ground below when they
realize they can't eat from it, and give up trying. But i'm hoping to
find a feeder/method that is better at solving this problem for the future
(and again, baffles won't solve my problem due to the only place i can hang
this feeder) This feeder i have now is called 'Squirrel Be Gone' by
PerkyPet. Someday i hope to figure this all out, so i can enjoy the little
red squirrels (that will eventually come in time) as much as my large grey,
black and fox squirrels. I also love the fact that they are my 'vacuum
cleaners' for the ground beneathe the feeder, keeping from attracting other
animals at night, like bear.
Thank you for your informative
website with the option of asking you for advice. Rest assured you will
probably hear from me again someday!
PS -I have one last
question..How do you tell the gender of these squirrels, without holding it
of course!? (and without any obvious signs, like nipples on a feeding
mother) I noticed this red squirrel had a little red 'spot' beneathe it's
belly when it sat up facing me from my window. It was easy to see the spot
of red against it's white underside. -Amy :)
Jun 17, 2009 11:55 AM
Rosemary Drisdelle :
Of course the swollen nipples of a nursing female are an easy giveaway!
It's not always so easy. I can tell the sex of my local squirrels if they
perch on a branch or bar with their backs to me. Look at the first photo
above - I'm pretty sure this is a male though I'd only be certain if I
could see him from behind. The testicles of the male are unmistakable if
you get a good look - if they're absent, it's a female.
Good
luck with your squirrels.
Jun 18, 2009 8:27 AM
Guest
:
Thank you! :)
Jun 21, 2009 10:54 AM
Guest
:
I did think of another question i was wondering about- Are different
species of squirrels MORE territorial against others of the same species,
or are ALL squirrels just as much territorial against ALL other squirrels,
despite what species they are-?
-Amy :)
Jun 22, 2009 4:15 AM
Rosemary Drisdelle :
Interesting question - but one I can't answer. Maybe someone else knows?
Jun 24, 2009 11:00 AM
Guest
:
Thanks..I will have to investigate that online. I'm hoping the squirrels i
do have will keep any new ones chased away for the most part (wishful
thinking, i know!)
When i see my most common squirrel, alone, (a
large black one i named Ceasar) i go outside now with a small handful of
sunflower seeds and put it in a small 'pile', instead of spreading it
around, just for him. He waits up a tree till i go back inside, then down
to his little pile of seeds he comes. I'm hoping by 'encouraging' him to
stick around more, he will. And by the fact he comes around much more often
than the other ones in the first place, i think my yard is part of 'his'
direct territory. He tends to chase away the others more now than other
squirrels who happens to come around.
If i left out a squirrel
feeder, on top of having another to bring inside at night, the worst aspect
of a feeder for them is that i know it would attract alot of animals at
night, and grackles/other black birds during the day. If a feeder is easily
accessible to a squirrel, it would be also for other animals and these
birds. The grackles are one of a bird feeding person's worst nightmare.
They are invasive 'bully-birds' who try to hog all the seed, suet to
themselves and are mean to the other birds.
After Ceasar has
finished his little meal of seeds and leaves, i then go out and sweep away
the hulls and any excessive amount of seeds still there so there isn't a
'ton' left behind. Then whatever falls beneathe the feeder for the rest of
the day is for any birds and other squirrels who live in my area. Ceasar
will come back also, and is more apt to defend the ground beneathe the
feeder now. So far it is working, since i did see a new little red
squirrel, but only saw it once in the past week and 1/2. And i know it
isn't the same one who i relocated (who could have possibly made it's way
back from what i've read) because i could see some differences in this one
opposed to the previous one.
And speaking of relocating a
squirrel, to prevent their return, i investigated online and learned that
they should be relocated over 12 miles away in a 'zig-zag pattern' instead
of up a straight road. Around 20 miles or more, it is almost a
guarantee.
I am hoping the little red one i relocated did manage
to survive. A day doesn't go by that i don't think of him :)
Jun 25, 2009 4:18 PM
Guest
:
I have a red squirl killing bird in my feeders and spruce trees I
would not have beleived thi had i not seen the squirl grab a bird from the
feeder and stash it in a tree , On closer observation i found several other
birds in the tree
Jun 28, 2009 12:07 PM
Guest
:
Thank you for posting my comment about red squirrels killing birds , It
would be interesting to know if any one else has had this problem, I live
in nothern Alberta so it may be a different species of red squirrel. I
first noticed dead birds on the lawn around and under trees..
Jun 28, 2009 12:44 PM
Guest
:
-Have you thought about giving the squirrel it's own feeder, quite a
'distance' away from your bird feeders? Many people swear by this. Or
using a squirrel-proof feeder? There are many kinds such as:
weight-activated ones, ones that 'spin' when the squirrel lands on it, or
have a feeder that comes with a kind of cover/top that the squirrel slides
off of. Also using a baffle above it -or below it if it's mounted on/hangs
from a pole (the baffle below on a pole should be mounted about 4 feet up
so the squirrel can't jump up above it) Another option would be to
move your feeders someplace else if you can. If you decide to put a
shepard's hook in your yard to hang your feeders from, you'll need that
'baffle below'. Also the feeder needs to be 5-6 feet from the ground, 8-10
feet from anything the squirrel can jump from the side to reach your
feeder. They also can jump from 'above', like from a over hanging tree
branch for example. Take all that into consideration if you want to use a
shepard's hook, or other type of 'pole hanger' in your yard.
May 28, 2008
