Black-Phase
Yay! Duane has been telling me, for about a week, that we have a female, balck-phase Gray Squirrel visiting the deck, but this morning, at about 7:15 a.m., was my first opportunity to see her. It's a gray day in the 30's & flurrying again, so the animals are active. In fact, I was surprised, at 6:15, to see a bunny eating out of one of the bowls on the deck!!! I'm afraid food sources are few & far between, this time of year. So, now I should supply pellets & greens at night?! Anyway, back to the squirrel. We, usually, only have Gray Squirrels, sometimes as many as 9 on the deck at a time. Once in a while, we see a red or black one--fun, since they're unusual. The black are not a different kind of squirrel--just a color varient of the gray--seen, usually, in the northeast U.S. Mine was seen on February 19, 2011 in Columbia County, New York, USA. In the past, I saw them, frequently, in lower Westchester County, New York--approximately 1 hour's drive norht of New York City. This little lady was having a bit of a hard time with the resident grays chasing her. At one point, she stopped just under the open bathroom window. I dropped a peanut in front of her. She, immediately, picked it up, ran off the deck & into a nearby tree, where she rewarded my gift by posing for this photo! Please note that we are getting some bud color on the maple branches; Spring is on the way! Here's more information on Black-Phase Gray Squirrels:
www.deertrail.us/minnesotawildlife/minnesotawildlife/blac...
Black-Phase
Yay! Duane has been telling me, for about a week, that we have a female, balck-phase Gray Squirrel visiting the deck, but this morning, at about 7:15 a.m., was my first opportunity to see her. It's a gray day in the 30's & flurrying again, so the animals are active. In fact, I was surprised, at 6:15, to see a bunny eating out of one of the bowls on the deck!!! I'm afraid food sources are few & far between, this time of year. So, now I should supply pellets & greens at night?! Anyway, back to the squirrel. We, usually, only have Gray Squirrels, sometimes as many as 9 on the deck at a time. Once in a while, we see a red or black one--fun, since they're unusual. The black are not a different kind of squirrel--just a color varient of the gray--seen, usually, in the northeast U.S. Mine was seen on February 19, 2011 in Columbia County, New York, USA. In the past, I saw them, frequently, in lower Westchester County, New York--approximately 1 hour's drive norht of New York City. This little lady was having a bit of a hard time with the resident grays chasing her. At one point, she stopped just under the open bathroom window. I dropped a peanut in front of her. She, immediately, picked it up, ran off the deck & into a nearby tree, where she rewarded my gift by posing for this photo! Please note that we are getting some bud color on the maple branches; Spring is on the way! Here's more information on Black-Phase Gray Squirrels:
www.deertrail.us/minnesotawildlife/minnesotawildlife/blac...