American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus)
The cutest and most cooperative friend that I made today during an afternoon bird survey was this American Red Squirrel (Tamiasciurus hudsonicus). It was chowing down and allowing me to shoot from a comfortable distance for a minute as Gray Squirrels and Eastern Chipmunks excitedly ran around us. I saw an increase in both butterflies and moths on the wing in the woodlands. Most of our birds are staying busy with nesting season upon us, feeding and quieting down to care for eggs or young with territories already well established. The goal now is to minimize disturbances and not attract...
Read MoreGetting Squirrely
Things got a little squirrely in Philadelphia last night! What was that Wild America I was talking about? It’s hard to get much more American than baseball and wilder than a squirrel on the loose in a packed stadium. Here’s hoping this one found its way back to the streets after finding a few tasty treats. As usual an unexpected animal at a baseball game is a crowd pleasure, and something the fans always root for. Your browser does not support iframes. Scott Kruitbosch Conservation & Outreach Coordinator
Read MoreAmerican Crow hunting acorns
I spotted this American Crow having a delightful time watching all of the action around it as more American Crows plus Blue Jays, squirrels and chipmunks all eagerly grabbed countless acorns under an oak tree. In this shot it almost seemed like it was gleefully sizing up the tree, taking an account of how much stock was left in this giant store. There are feeding frenzies going on all around us with wildlife storing food for the winter during a very helpful warm November stretch. That is about to end as colder than average temperatures are coming for the mid-month with some snow in the...
Read MoreNetting the wrong owl and squirrel
What was going to be a quiet night of just trying to band migrant Northern Saw-whet Owls (Aegolius acadicus) turned into so much more. Tyler Christensen and I cut our mist nest lane configuration earlier in the day and returned around 6:45 to get things started. We use an audio lure to try and bring migrating Saw-whet Owls to the nets, so we started that and left the area. We decided to wait till 7:50 to check the nets again. We strolled down to the set-up to find no owls yet, but all of a sudden we heard some rustling. We both looked and saw a Southern Flying Squirrel (Glaucomys volans) run...
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