Squirrel! Winter is perfect time to watch squirrel antics

Few wild animals enjoy living in cities and suburbs as much as squirrels. Wherever a few trees grow, they are there. Especially near bird feeders. We find winter to be the best season to enjoy watching their antics.

Two common squirrel species live in the Corridor. The smaller more agile Eastern Grey Squirrel weighs 14 to 21 ounces, while its cousin, the Fox Squirrel, is nearly twice as heavy. Fox squirrels are named for their reddish fur. Both species eat nuts, fruit and buds, but sunflower seeds may be their favorite. Squirrels are one of few animals that can descend a tree head first by articulating their hind feet. When a squirrel goes down a tree its rear claws face upward to grip the bark.

Both squirrel species reproduce in an unrodentlike way. When you see a squirrel chasing another in the middle of winter it's probably a lusty male seeking a willing mate. Often the chase takes them up, down and around trees. Sometimes several males join the melee and give chase.

Most rodents mate while very young and produce several large litters annually. In contrast, squirrel mothers wait until they are a year old to mate and give birth to just a few babies that mature slowly and receive much maternal care and education. Some females remate in June.

Squirrels live in hollow trees but sometimes make leafy nests called dreys. They are amazingly agile and have significant cognitive ability, so it is not surprising that they raid bird feeders.

' Marion Patterson is a retired educator. Rich Patterson is the former executive director of Indian Creek Nature Center in Cedar Rapids.