Red Squirrel
Today's photo is a red squirrel. These squirrels are active in Maine all year long and are a common sight in the backyard. This little squirrel was born last spring and has been a regular visitor to my backyard everyday since then. In fact, I watched a pair of them grow over the course of the year. According to Natureworks, the female typically gives birth to three to seven babies in late winter or early spring. They are weaned at 7 to 8 weeks and leave their mothers at about 18 weeks.
Contrary to popular belief, red squirrels aren't crazy about dried corn and will avoid the dried corn cobs unless all other food sources are gone. They actually prefer sunflower seeds and will seek them out. Even when offered mixed seeds with dried nuts, my squirrels will choose the sunflower seeds first and leave the nuts until last. Of course, that means the bird feeder is their favorite location. I put up several feeders and try to have at least one feeder that is inaccessible to squirrels so I can enjoy watching both the squirrels and the birds all year. This also provides me with excellent photo opportunities!
Contrary to popular belief, red squirrels aren't crazy about dried corn and will avoid the dried corn cobs unless all other food sources are gone. They actually prefer sunflower seeds and will seek them out. Even when offered mixed seeds with dried nuts, my squirrels will choose the sunflower seeds first and leave the nuts until last. Of course, that means the bird feeder is their favorite location. I put up several feeders and try to have at least one feeder that is inaccessible to squirrels so I can enjoy watching both the squirrels and the birds all year. This also provides me with excellent photo opportunities!
To learn more about wildlife in Maine, check out my In My Backyard Series.
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