Outdoor Ontario
Photography => Wildlife => Topic started by: aviator on February 25, 2013, 07:48:43 PM
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(http://img10.imageshack.us/img10/5479/p1100948u.jpg) (http://img10.imageshack.us/i/p1100948u.jpg/)
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I've noticed an increase in Red Squirrel numbers...but it could just be me being out more.
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Last year was the first year that we had ever seen a Red Squirrel in our yard after 30+ years of living at the same location in Scarborough. Possibly the same little guy was in the backyard getting a bite to eat yesterday before the weather moved in.
Walter
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This is the first year I've noticed them in a few Toronto parks, although not in my own yard yet. My family in Oakville have had them for many years and they are regular visitors at our cottage up north. The kids of course love them because they are extremely cute and can be easily trained to eat from you hand. However, BEWARE of these little cuties - they are fast learners and can be very noisy. Last summer after making the mistake of feeding them too close to our cabin, they chewed through the screen door looking for more food after we'd gone home! Fortunately they were unable to access the main cabin, just the tiny porch. They are also known for causing property damage by chewing up plastic and styrofoam, possibly for nesting materials.
-kris
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Thanks for the input. I thought that grey and black squirrels were partly responsible for the disappearance of the red but now we seem to have them all living in some sort of harmony. With 3 to start with now, maybe in Spring the number of reds will rise even more.
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At our local park, the grey/black squirrels live in fear of the smaller reds.
Walter
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Yeah the Red Squirrels are very aggressive and territorial towards the Grey/Black squirrels. This is part of the reason they're able to hold their own on this continent. The European Red Squirrel is having a much harder time with the Grey squirrel invasion. They're not doing that well and may eventually be driven to extinction.
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At Rosetta McClain today I watched a red squirrel repeatedly attack a Crow! The Crow clearly chose the wrong tree but couldn't seem to take the hint - the squirrel would run full tilt along the branch and throw itself at the bird, then circle back and do it again! Amazingly the squirrel won the day and the Crow moved off with it's buddies to chase a Red-tail.
-kris :D