Nope, they’re not the pirates of Penzance or the Caribbean. They’re the little furry rodents that amuse many a wildlife watcher as they jump from branch to branch, sit up holding morsels in tiny paws and leap aboard bird feeders everywhere — the squirrels.
They’ve had it good this winter. The mild season has kept them largely out and about, eating well and ransacking bird feeders in every neighborhood.
Many local backyard wildlife enthusiasts, my father included, have a heck of a time trying to keep bird seed for the birds. He tried a “squirrel-proof” feeder featuring springed perches to hold a bird’s weight but nothing larger.
They figured out the perch thing in record time. They just wrapped their front feet around the whole feeder and hung on to it as they slid down, then ate everything in sight.
Next step: He greased up the pole so the critters couldn’t climb up to the feeder.
This lasted approximately 10 minutes. Nope, they couldn’t climb the stake — but the little swashbucklers leapt onto the feeder from a nearby tree, hung upside down from the hook the feeder was hanging on, and poked birdseed in with both paws.
This actually is quite common, according to Nate Webb, special projects biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife in Augusta. Though squirrels do eat “quite a lot” and love to clean out bird feeders, they generally cause little damage and can bring lots of enjoyment.
“They’re very entertaining to watch,” Webb said yesterday. “A lot of people like to have them come to the feeders. They can cause, occasionally, some problems, the red squirrels in particular, in terms of getting into people’s homes and potentially chewing wiring, so folks should be aware of that. But beyond that, they don’t tend to cause a lot of problems.”
In these parts, there are mostly two varieties of the rodents. “You certainly have red squirrels, and probably also have gray squirrels,” Webb said.
“Gray squirrels are more of a southern species and are kind of getting closer to their more northern range, while the red are a more boreal species and range all the way into Canada. We do have flying squirrels, but they tend to be quite nocturnal. We don’t see them very often.”
They favor a diversity of food, he explained. “They eat any sort of seeds or nuts and berries. And pine seeds — you’ll often see in the woods mounds of pine or spruce cones that have been chewed up. The red squirrels in the spring can actually be fairly major predators for eggs of nesting birds.”
For those who wish, the biologist said there are actually a number of ways to keep squirrels away from backyard feeders. In addition to feeders designed to be squirrel-proof, posts can be shielded in metal or some type of plastic tubing to prevent them from climbing. He suggested a simple online search for specialized feeders or add-ons to make existing feeders less squirrel-friendly.
As an afterthought, I asked Webb about black squirrels. Though I’ve never seen any locally, I have in other places I’ve visited.
“There definitely can be color phases of gray squirrels,” he said. “This is usually due to melanism, which is a pigmentation issue. I don’t think it’s widespread in Maine.”
As adept as the little animals can be, every now and then, something turns the tables on them. While out walking one day, I spied three chipmunks at a bird feeder — yes, pilfering. On the ground, a large grey squirrel made a beeline to the feeder and scurried up the wooden stake, hell-bent on a mid-afternoon munch. Apparently deciding there was safety in numbers, the chipmunks pounced. It happened so fast — the last I saw of the squirrel, it was zooming flat-out with three chipmunks on its tail.
That pirate had to seek another ship to terrorize that day.
Wanted: Your ideas
Transitioning to a broader view of wildlife, the DIFW will actually be in Presque Isle next week to hear opinions and ideas for better fish and wildlife management. Three meetings will take place at the Northeastland Hotel’s Red Room.
The first session is slated Wednesday, March 16, from 6-9 p.m., and will focus on bear management. Freshwater fisheries management is next, on Thursday, March 17, also from 6-9 p.m. Lastly will be moose, deer and turkey management, to be held Saturday, March 19, from 1-4 p.m.
Other meetings will be held farther downstate, in Orono, Westbrook and Farmington.
Webb said typically every 15 years or so, the department revisits its wildlife management practices, and public input can play an important role.
“It’s very important for folks to participate,” he commented. “We certainly hope for good attendance. These meetings are a good opportunity for people to provide comments to our department on the management of wild game and fisheries, give ideas for us to improve management … and share their perspective on where we should go in the future to manage those species.”
Webb added department biologists work within basic habitats, but also want to incorporate people’s ideas — for instance, maximizing fish yield in certain lakes, so anglers can take home fish to put on the table, or managing moose to keep them off roadways or to ensure hunting and viewing opportunities.
He noted there is an online forum for wildlife issues, and one that will be coming online in the next few days relative to fisheries, so people who can’t go to the meetings or might have further comments can get in on the process.
For further information, visit www.maine.gov/ifw, or contact Webb at nathan.webb@maine.gov.
