Where are the squirrels and chipmunks?
We have had no squirrels and chipmunks this fall, and we have thousands of acorns falling all over the place. Was there a plague of some sort? Don’t get me wrong....they can be a nuisance , but we have seen none here. Big mystery.
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No mice, squirrels are gone
No mice here this fall. My cat is very disappointed in the slim harvest. My older kids graduated, got jobs and found places to live. The cat just wants to live in the basement and have food brought in. The squirrels don't hang around the bird feeder anymore, but I think that's because we got one of those Droll Yankee feeders and they can't raid it. Fun to watch them try.
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I wonder if the predators that would have eaten the missing squirrels and chipmunks will be looking at our pets for dinner this fall. :eek:
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Where are squirrels and chipmunks?
With the big die-off last year we had none for a while. This summer we had at least one red squirrel and one gray. And we have three chipmunks that I can count. Lots of acorns falling this year so the population should continue growing.
I read that acorns take 2-3 years to mature/grow to point they fall and their numbers depend on prior years' weather. |
Miss the squirrels and chipmunks but not too sad that we have no moles this year.
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Squirrels and deer are looking very thin heading into winter.
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Nature’s will to survive is very strong. |
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I have heard that owls are suffering from the lack of rodents in certain areas of the country and are starving. Given the exploding mouse population of last year, you would think the owls had plenty... This year, my bluebird houses, which are normally “winter housing” for the mice, are empty. I will put out some “bucket of death” traps for the mice soon...that will give me an idea of how many there are out there right now. I do not want them invading my buildings and equipment. |
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We are inundated with chipmunks and plenty of squirrels,,, I if you have any suggestions about how to go about it, I would be happy to send some your way. |
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They're in my back yard... do you want some??
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I haven’t seen a red squirrel at our place on Bear Island or a chipmunk at home in Merrimack this summer. I hate them both for the nuisances they create. The squirrels like to nest in my shed and make a mess and the chipmunks have burrowed under my brick walkway causing the bricks to droop. No loss here.
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I'm not feeding the birds...
Because I stopped feeding the birds back in late May or early June (bears 3, Upthesaukee 0, game, set & match), the seed on the ground has disappeared, and so had our squirrels and chipmunks until the last few days.
I'm guessing that both had been taking advantage of the natural foods that are available over the summer in the woods surrounding our house. Now that the acorns are falling (looks like a bumper crop this), they are collecting their new found bounty from our yard and have returned. And yes Skip, they have found a couple of nuts at my house!:D:cool: Dave |
Eastern Chipmunk...
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Back in Spring, the first chipmunk remembered me, and came running to my whistle! He was shadowed by a larger chipmunk, which I took to be his mother. She'd chase him off (which is normal), but she would also look forward to some black sunflower seeds. :) Both are likely off in the woods now, but there are reminders (left by mussel shells) that we also have minks—which prey upon chipmunks. Both always appear stressed. A third appeared in the last two weeks, but wouldn't respond to me (and just now, ran away). :confused: Chipmunks evolved from an underground tunneling mammal that survived the dinosaur era. :eek2: Their underground homes (and food-storage areas) use large voids they find in the ground, so can't solely be blamed for misalignment of stepping stones. (Which should be bedded in a large gravel footprint). All the other 28 Chipmunk species are smaller than our Eastern Chipmunk. |
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He looks afraid to come out. With all the falling acorns he could get knocked unconscious. We have a bazillion acorns which hopefully won’t translate into a bazillion critters.
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Several Falls ago I noticed a chipmunk coming out of his burrow, return a bit later with a face-full of acorns, and disappear down the hole- only to repeat the actions several time in a row. I decided to help, so I collected some acorns and set them on the lip of the burrow. They were completely ignored, and the chippie went on about his business.
OK. So, I put on some work gloves, removed the previously offered acorns, and replaced them with non-human smelling acorns. Suddenly, the little critter's collection time was cut down to seconds. I just think this is an interesting observation, though not totally surprising. |
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Zero squirrels
We still have seen no squirrels or chipmunks this fall on our property. Very strange....we used to have to be careful closing doors to keep them out. Not a one.
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