Squirrels driving you up a tree? Why not celebrate?

    Whoops. Guess I missed it. Squirrel Appreciation Day was Jan. 21 and I forgot to throw a party for all those furry little guys swiping seeds from around my bird feeders.

     Squirrel Appreciation Day was created in 2001 by wildlife rehabilitator Christy Hargrove of Asheville, N.C., who is affiliated with the beautiful Western NC Nature Center. Her purpose is to get us thinking about squirrels in a new and more positive way.

     Let’s face it, many backyard bird watchers think of tree squirrels as pests who “steal” food from their feathered friends. Looking at it from the squirrels’ point of view, they are thankful for the bounty you are providing them in the dead of winter.

     In other words, they don’t know the food is strictly for the birds. Nor do the mice, voles, raccoons and opossums which also enjoy your seeds. Our recent snowfall gave me an opportunity to study their tracks in my yard. It’s amazing how many critters we have in our neighborhood that might otherwise go unnoticed.

     The most obvious animal neighbors are tree squirrels because they are diurnal (awake during the day). They are also bold as brass, unlike their shy cousin the flying squirrel which is nocturnal (comes out at night).

     Most of the squirrels I see in my neighborhood are Eastern gray squirrels, which can vary in color. Some have reddish tones and others can even be black, but I’ve only seen those in colder regions. These large rodents are typically 16 to 20 inches in length.

     One thing that makes gray squirrels successful as a species is that they can eat a wide variety of food. Of course nuts are a favorite, but they also eat fruit, bark, insects and other animal matter.

     Flying squirrels, in contrast, are more carnivorous, even eating bird eggs and nestlings. In fact, they often occupy bird nesting boxes. But don’t chase them out if you see this behavior because flying squirrels are endangered.

     Another thing that makes gray squirrels so successful is that they breed twice a year starting at age one, usually around Christmas and then again in June or July. After a gestation period of 42-45 days, three hairless babies are born. They start exploring outside the nest at 10-12 weeks of age.

     A squirrel’s range depends on availability of food. In fall, tree squirrels have been known to travel up to 50 miles in search of better habitat. However, the ones in my yard know a good thing when they see it.

     According to a Nebraska Cooperative Extension study, about half the squirrels in a population die each year. And in the wild, individuals older than 4 years are rare. That’s probably because squirrels are a favorite food for hawks, snakes and fox.

     Human hunters who would like to affect the squirrel population in North Carolina can only do so Oct. 1 to Feb. 13, the gray squirrel hunting season. The NC Wildlife Federation has spoken out against extending the season because by mid February, parents are busy caring for their young so it would be cruel to kill them at that time.

     And while all kinds of elaborate methods have been devised for keeping squirrels away from bird seed, few actually work long-term. That’s because those critters are darn smart. So what I usually do is throw enough seed onto the ground around the feeders to keep squirrels occupied. That helps my ground-feeding bird friends, as well.

     Visit www.nwf.org to find out more fascinating squirrel facts.

 Mooresville’s Julie Higgie is a NC Environmental Educator, a Habitat Steward for the NC Wildlife Federation, and vice president of the Lake Norman Wildlife Conservationists. She welcomes questions and comments at jchiggie@yahoo.com