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Home My WebLink AboutJanuary 08, 2004 - Winter on the wild side � The Suffolk Times • January 8, 2004 � n er . � on e �v� sl e ,� . ,��,,,� , , . �, � ti ,� , ,,,,� �, �, � , �,,, ,a �� " �� , �' '4,�/ " , ,,�u�,7�� ,r'p �/� � � '� e�ri�� , � , ,;,;��" ��' �� y p �ae a 4"�� "��µ' : '�N � � � � � � ��,�,« . n N p� ��ti,w� /4 ' '� � N �'�^ �fi+� � ��N �l�� . �� i w x� ,�'p �Ra��;� l� �� l�r r i q '�r'z� .J ��. ap n� ��H�� ( ,l'� �', �t ��"'.� ved'ur� ��il�l , « � � i � }� itn�h��,�`�%�d .. .� , „„ . �ian") � ti � '� � � �N�'✓�i i � . ,. ��° �'�,� �° � n"ry' �p�m'� �ii i�%ry r��,�r�C� * � �° i r �",�� "'��`. ` W ..�N",� ,��,n�. �� ^ � �,� '"�w �y �.n �.w°' �....... �.. .�t� � �µM„� ....� � .. �n ,. . w v, , fiwk��i �., r � v M i !/rn �" Mv�i� �r�i��uq,� �r M ��,a�� ,�r,;�, Times/Review photos "`�-hq � �� "r��h��'"�� r, by Paul Stoutenburgh �,i �M a ,�vy u�b u�w, � n P�a �u�w�l�w�r�i � ��' �'��'�;W" � , `r;�"��a�,;,��, � � � Left: Our gray squirrel is prob- ` -^ � �' " � � �' � � ably the most recognized � � � �^ ��'��i� �� ,,.��+t`"�� -�� mammal east of the �� w `� �'�`�`'�'��fi ��' Mississippi. It is most active � ,, r �t.�e"u ��:�� `;�;''�`1` . ri ht now as the male chases � � '' "��'�`��r,+;�.,� ,-�f.: 9 �� , .. the female on the ground, up .,�-�,� •_ '�.. � . ��'�'� ;. ��y in the treetops and through the ; � � :. air from time to time. The ,�� v ��'- `�`��:-j chase can go on for hours. �� ,,.W ,�; .'� � ,,;_� �� . Above: This "tiger of the � " �'�"' � �4 � �� °�.,'"�'• � K, woods" travels on silent wings �n c' 2 �"� ^ °� ��: ` �,� �� *� as it hunts for its nightly meal �� ,� � � '�' of mice, rats, rabbits or even �'� �"��" �`"� � perhaps your pet cat. It is ,�� `��n, � ��, ,, , � w�� y, „� known in every state from �� a �� w � � � north to south, from east to dih�,� r r � r !� ��r' l�� r,� l ti��p� WeSt. i� � 'o�� As I saT AT n�tY ��sx working,my sidelines,comes FOCUS the chattering eye caught a movement outside the and rapid tail big window.It was two squirrels frol- �N movement of a icking.Midwinter is their courting NATURE young,inexperi- time.Mating takes place after much by Paul enced squirrel. ado,which can be fierce fighting Stc�utenburg'h It's something amongst males,along with the contin- to see,as these ual chasing by a male after a female. streaks of gray Then,from the ::�'iV "rr..'�F 4 �c.:. � _ ��YJpblA�inj�'' - t . �� y� A�"•� •1:;; go c argmg a out m t e treetops, 'I'hcn tl�crc's inan,wi�h making wild leaps from one tree to his speeding cars. Our higli- another,all in pursuit of a female. I �'aYs are death traps for guess you could almost call these squ�rrels,yet some of the actions foreplay. older and wiser squirrels Squirrels don't hibernate.They're wi11 often take the high road active all winter long. Occasionally —or shoulti I say high wire when the weather is real bad,they'll —aeross the road.Many just sits still and watchc� �in�l listcns hole up in their nest for days until times I've seen their balanc- for movement in the leaves below. It the weather moderates.Then it's back ing act as they pass over the could be a shrew or meadow mouse to what squirrels do best,searching road on a high wire,mare or wood rat or even a rabbit iYs wait- for nuts.We all know that squirrels or less tightrope-walking to �pg i'or. bury their acorns,hickory nuts,etc.in the other side. I'm sure a great horned owl might our lawns and gardens,and I'm told �e gray squirrel is found ��s� pick off a crow that's roosting in they don't remember where they in every state east of the its winter's sleep. Perl�aps that's th� bury their nuts but locate them by Mississippi and up into reason we often hear a group of smelling them out.This locating by southern Canada.It's prob- crows calling and dive-bombing an smell works even through snow.I can ably the most recognized mammal in owl during the daytime.They will vouch for that,for when it snows our the whole animal warld.Squirrels �i�rass the owl until they drive it out lawn has these little piles of dirt build their nests in hollow trees. of their territary.These harassing par- where a squirrel has dug down to When they cannot find a hollow tree, ties draw crows from miles around. retrieve a nut of one kind or another. they build their leaf nests in the tree- What a racket they can make! All the nuts aren't f'ound.The missed lops.These bundles of leaves are cut An interesting exercise you might ones are nature's way of planting by the squirrels during the warmer enjoy is looking for owl pellets.Some tr�es,ensuring there will always bc months and worked into a nest. In owls sleep away the daylight hours in new ones to replace the old. �1��' Pall,the green leaves dry and turn dumps of evergreens.It's during this We're blessed with beautiful tall ��-�»'n and the nest becomes quite time that their stomachs digest the hickory trees around our place.The l��i�manent. It can withstand the previous night's meal. Owls don't winds and rains of winter,while chew their food,but swallow it whole. dc�wnside is that our whole front The end result is a ellet that's la�vn is covered with the discarded ��s��e,curled up in a ball under its P casings and shells of hickory nuts.We h��shY silver-tipped tail,the squirrel passed up and out through the have such an abundance of hickory sleeps away. mouth. It has had all the nutrients Midwinter matin is also carried removed,leaving a clean collection of nuts that it's not unusual to look out fur and bones in a convenient pack- in c�ur yard and see 10 to 12 squirrels out by the great horned owl,which at one time,each one doing its own starts hooting for its mate at this time age we call an owl pellet. thing on the ground or in thc tree- of year.In January or Februar it These pellets are often examined in tops,collecting,eating or burying seeks out one of last year's crow or a classroom,where they're carefully hawk nests.Here one,two or three taken apart.They reveal the kinds of thcir food. animals and birds that live in the In many parts of the �ggs are laid. Remember,this is still midwinter.I have seen hoto ra hs area.We just recently found one of country squirrels are eaten. ��' reat horned owls covered b p these pellets and we could clearly see They're a prize catch by the � Y the skeletal remains of an animal's le hunter,for squirrel stew an snow as they incubate their precious � fricd squirrel are considered ��5�1'ou can actually see an "incu- and foot.Collecting owl pellets is a batin atch"on man birds such as great thing to do with young people. good eating.Here on the g p Y So we might think winter is a deaci island we have few squirrel the great horned owl.It allows the time of the year,but there's alwa s hunters and few natural bird to bring the eggs directly in con- Y� tact with its warm bod something going on,whether it's the predators,which partly y during incu- matin chase of the ra s uirrel or accounts for their large bation. � g y�q numbers.Of their two pred- 'rhere are great horned owls in our t�� hooting of the grcat horned owl area,yet few people realize that this �is it lures a mate. Knowing such ators,one is the red-tailed activities are going on throughout the hawk,which occasionally "tiger of the woods"is part of our winter makcs these dreary months comes in and snatches one W�nter story.We see one of these lar e owls roostin in our nei hbor's 11101� «�'�i�-cling. for its noonday meal.The g g g other is the fox.Although evergreens.If I watch as the sun goes its main source of food is do�'n in the west and darkness creeps small rodents,the fox never in,occasionally I'll see it fly out on its turns down a meal,particu- silent wings for its nightly hunt,or it larly if it's a small,inexperi- enced one.