Seasonal

Squirrels around town

Article written by:  Cornerback

The first and most common squirrel is the Grey squirrel. Grey squirrels are agile, bushy-tailed rodents known for burying nuts, using their keen sense of smell to find them later, and living in forests and urban areas. They don't truly hibernate but stay in nests during bad weather, can swim, climb, and are right- or left-handed, with a varied diet of nuts, seeds, fruits, and even insects, helping disperse plant life.        

The next squirrel is the American red squirrel. American red squirrels , also called chickarees, are small, noisy, territorial North American rodents known for their reddish fur, bushy tails, and love for coniferous forests, where they diligently hoard pine cones and fungi, even drying them out before storing; they're aggressive, highly vocal, don't hibernate, and use their sharp sense of smell to find winter food caches buried under snow.

The next squirrel on the list is the black squirrel. A black squirrel is not a separate species but a melanistic (dark-furred) variation of the common Eastern Gray Squirrel or Fox Squirrel, caused by a genetic mutation leading to excess melanin pigment, making

The last squirrel on the list is the White squirrel. A white squirrel is usually a color variant of the common Eastern Gray Squirrel, caused by a genetic condition called leucism, not albinism, meaning they have reduced pigment but often retain dark eyes and sometimes patches of gray fur, like a head stripe. While rare overall (albinos are 1 in 100,000), certain towns like Brevard, NC, and Olney, IL, have thriving, protected populations of these unique, lucky-seeming creatures. 

Squirrel fun facts.

• Never-ending teeth: A squirrel's front teeth grow continuously, so they must chew on things like nuts and tree bark to keep them filed down.

• Amazing agility: They can jump up to six feet in a single bound and fall from heights up to 100 feet without injury, using their tail as a balance and parachute.

• Acrobatic hind legs: Squirrels have double-jointed hind legs, which allow them to quickly run up and down trees.

• Wide field of vision: Their eyes are positioned on the sides of their heads, allowing them to see behind them.

Most of the information I used came from National Geographic. The best way to learn is right outside of your house. Your back yard! I hope you learned a lot about squirrels. 

By: Sheilder McFeilder 

Did you know that some birds in your backyard could be traveling all the way to the Carribean islands? And did you know that birds all the way from Canada are on their way here for the winter? There are many species of birds, like Gray Catbirds, House Wrens, and Great Crested Flycatchers that come from the south to our backyards for the spring and summer to breed. While they are here they mostly eat insects and fruit. There are many other species of birds, like juncos, Red-breasted Nuthatches, and White-throated Sparrows that come here from the north to feed in our backyards. They mostly eat seeds and nuts.

Gray Catbirds arrive here in the early spring and both the male and the female work together to build their nest, which you are likely to find in bushes around your house. They are very friendly and you can get them to come close to you or your house with fruits and nuts. Most of them migrate in the fall, as far away as Panama. 

House Wrens also arrive in the spring and they make their nests in the holes of your trees. The same male and female will often come back to your backyard season after season to raise a family. These birds are very hard to see but they sing songs all day long. Most of them spend the winter in Mexico. 

Many species of flycatchers come to our area in the spring and summer, but only the Great Crested Flycatchers breed in our backyard. Similarly to the House Wren, it also makes a nest in a hole of a tree, but higher up the tree. When they arrive they have to protect their nest against our local woodpeckers and squirrels who also make nests in tree holes. Most of them migrate to Florida and Mexico, but some go all the way to Columbia and Venezuela.

As these birds leave our backyards to head south for the winter, many other species are arriving here to spend the winter. Many of these birds form large flocks during this time of year and they move through our backyards looking for food. Dark-eyed Juncos and White-throated Sparrows are often found on the ground and in the bushes in your yard. Most of the Juncos are males because females tend to migrate farther south. White-throated Sparrows are known to go to the same spot every winter, so you could be seeing the same sparrows season after season.

Red-breasted Nuthatches can be found in your backyard trees and often flock with our year-round White-breasted Nuthatches. They can also form flocks with our local Tufted Titmice and Carolina Chicadees, as they all move through our backyards looking for nuts and seeds. The males and females that breed together up north often stay together throughout the winter.

The birds in our backyards are just a few of the dozens and dozens of birds that migrate in and out of New Jersey throughout the seasons. You can find many other species at Audubon Lake, along the Jersey Shore, or in some of our state parks like Belleplain State Forest in Cape May Countey and Worthington State Forest on the Delaware Water River. Although the fall migration is slowing down, it is fun to know that every month there are birds moving in and out of our backyards to feed and breed. It's amazing that your backyard could be a home or pitstop for birds from all over the world.

For more information you can read The Birder’s Handbook: A Field Guide To The Natural History of North American Birds by Paul Ehrlich and The Sibley Guide to Birds by David Allen Sibley. The best way to learn about birds in

 your backyard is to go out and watch them!