Although squirrels provide food for wild carnivores and are beneficial in a multitude of ways they can be an obnoxious species to share an evening sit in a tree stand with.
After moving to Minnesota I quickly learned that although I had escaped the shrill of Douglas squirrels in the Pacific Northwest I had moved to a state with an abundant supply of red squirrels! The closely related red and Douglas squirrels are quite similar in behavior and appearance with Douglas squirrel having a rusty colored belly and a slightly different set of vocalizations. Like most squirrels, Red squirrels eat a lot of plant and fungal material including the seeds of conifers as well as various types of fungus.
In late summer and fall you will often see mushrooms that have been left on the bows of balsam fir to dry for later consumption. Being opportunists, red squirrels will not hesitate when presented the opportunity to eat eggs, baby birds, and other easily available animal protein. Red Squirrels are notorious for caching food supplies for winter. In our area, spruce seeds can make up a good portion of cached food. Much like the remnants from old logging camp dumps are scattered throughout the woods, red squirrel middens of chewed cone scales and empty seed hulls can be found after the spring thaw.
Red squirrels live a territorial and aggressive life, often intimidating squirrel species much larger than themselves. In the fall I am often amused by squabbles between squirrels while sitting the day in a tree stand.
Red squirrel reproduction is a romanceless event. The red squirrel mating tactic is described as “scramble competition polygyny” in which the female becomes receptive for a very short amount of time and the area males relentlessly pursue her for a chance to pass on their genes. 31 to 35 days after mating the female red squirrel gives birth to 1 to 5 naked and pink offspring.
