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Squirrel Damage: The Feeding Habits of Red Squirrels

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A colleague of mine recently sent me an article from Michigan State University on squirrel damage and what the Red Squirrel can do to a tree, specifically, to the buds of numerous trees in their unending search for food. Often times, they will chew off the last foot or so of a branch, feed on newly emerging buds and throw away the limb after feeding. I have seen this occur on my own tree, usually in the early spring, just as the tree is beginning to bud out. Red squirrels, also called pine squirrels, and are native to the U.S. They can be found from Alaska, throughout Canada, south to the Appalachians and west to the Rocky Mountains. They mainly feed on the seeds of conifer cones and usually stay near areas where those trees are growing. Red squirrels are very territorial and will aggressively defend their realm from encroachment of other squirrels. They don't like any intruders wandering into their territory and will bark or chatter at any and all intruders. I can attest to the fact that they will sit on a bird feeder and stuff themselves with sunflower seeds for a good portion of the day. I have not found a way to keep these voracious feeders off my bird feeders. I guess I could purchase one of the "squirrel-proof" bird feeders, but I enjoy watching them feed. In fact, I built a little perch that I attached to the side of my tree so I can watch them as they feed. I know some people call them tree rats, but they are still cute and fun to watch as they scamper about from bird feeder to bird feeder. As cute as they may seem, squirrels are still wild animals and they will bite. A couple of years ago I took a trip to the Grand Canyon. I listened to a park ranger ask a group of visitors to name the most dangerous animal living at the Grand Canyon. The answer was the squirrel as many people will attempt to feed them. Unfortunately, squirrels cannot tell the difference between a cheese curl or other food item and a finger. So, if you find a bunch of branches laying about the ground under a tree in the spring, you can thank your neighborhood squirrel. The tree won't be harmed to any great extent. They are hungry and are just looking for food. Have fun watching them, but do so from a distance and don't try to feed them by hand.