topic Re: squirrels tails in Community Chat

squirrels tails

route 7 — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 23:09:12 GMT

N.J. here and aside from the weather almanac there is a saying that if the squirrels tails are bushy in fall it will be in harsh winter. I see bushy tails!! Anyone here see the same?

Re: squirrels tails

Marp2 — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 23:12:27 GMT

I'm not in NJ but our squirrels have very bushy tails already and the few wooly worms/wooly bears I've seen are almost all black, just very narrow bands of cinnamon.

My animals started heavy shedding of summer coats almost a month earlier than normal and the hummingbirds are already well on their way to reaching migration weight.

Re: squirrels tails

faeriemoon — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 23:14:46 GMT

My hickory trees started dropping nuts in August.

Does that mean anything?

Re: squirrels tails

sylviahomeatlast — Thu, 11 Sep 2014 23:47:32 GMT

Our leaves are falling and the aspens are gold already. I don't really know what all that means. Tomorrow cold and light snow is predicted here and the mountains.

Re: squirrels tails

Clover29 — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 00:34:08 GMT

Aren't all squirrel tails bushy at this time of year? They're kind of skinny and rat-like when they're new young kits, and then their tails "come in" ready for keeping them warm in the winter.

Re: squirrels tails

sylviahomeatlast — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 00:37:32 GMT

On 9/11/2014 Clover29 said:
Aren't all squirrel tails bushy at this time of year? They're kind of skinny and rat-like when they're new young kits, and then their tails "come in" ready for keeping them warm in the winter.

that makes sense---

Re: squirrels tails

Clover29 — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 01:11:54 GMT

Another thing: squirrel moms "bequeath" their best territory to their babies. The adults are better able to find a new hunting ground, and the babies have the best chance of survival in an established good source of food.

So the squirrels you see in your yard are more likely to be this season's babies, whose mom showed them your birdseed feeders, while she goes into the woods to forage. Then those babies grow up, and have their own babies who in turn inherit your feeders.

Endless supply of growing baby squirrels with thin-to-bushy tails.

Re: squirrels tails

terrier3 — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 01:19:59 GMT

I saw a squirrel a few mornings ago with no bushy tail at all. It was about 5AM and was moving kind of slow.

Never mind, it was either a large mouse or a small rat!!!! Walking down my street and not paying any attention to traffic either!

Re: squirrels tails

sylviahomeatlast — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 03:08:07 GMT

On 9/11/2014 Clover29 said:
Another thing: squirrel moms "bequeath" their best territory to their babies. The adults are better able to find a new hunting ground, and the babies have the best chance of survival in an established good source of food.

So the squirrels you see in your yard are more likely to be this season's babies, whose mom showed them your birdseed feeders, while she goes into the woods to forage. Then those babies grow up, and have their own babies who in turn inherit your feeders.

Endless supply of growing baby squirrels with thin-to-bushy tails.

I like this a lot----fun fact.

Re: squirrels tails

hckynut — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 03:40:59 GMT

They say the same thing around here about racoon coats and their thickness. We've got tons of them around our property and I have yet to see a winter when they don't look twice as big as they did in the warmer weather.

Now if I used that to predict the winter? I would be so good I would apply for a weatherperson opening with one of our radio or tv stations. Couldn't be any worse at predicting than these people.

Re: squirrels tails

Lila Belle — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 03:57:02 GMT

I've seen both bushy tailed and scrawny, thin tailed squirrels all over the place. I'll rely on the meteorologists for my forecasts.

Re: squirrels tails

CANDLEQUEEN — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 13:58:53 GMT

I am in Wisconsin and I see a bunch of bushy tails!!!!!!!

Re: squirrels tails

qualitygal — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 14:07:25 GMT

Did you see the snow on the ground in the news? Good Grief!!

Re: squirrels tails

CANDLEQUEEN — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 15:35:16 GMT

On 9/11/2014 terrier3 said:
I saw a squirrel a few mornings ago with no bushy tail at all. It was about 5AM and was moving kind of slow.

Never mind, it was either a large mouse or a small rat!!!! Walking down my street and not paying any attention to traffic either!

It could have been a possum!!!!

Re: squirrels tails

Clover29 — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 16:06:41 GMT

On 9/11/2014 Lila Belle said:
I've seen both bushy tailed and scrawny, thin tailed squirrels all over the place. I'll rely on the meteorologists for my forecasts.

Squirrels breed twice a year. They have their first litter at the beginning of March, then a second lot in July. The March babies have had time to get their bush on, the July babies are still working on their teenage peachfuzz.

Re: squirrels tails

Hooty — Fri, 12 Sep 2014 21:02:25 GMT

Squirrels here in the South have very skinny tails, so that saying could be true! I saw the huge ugly black squirrel drinking out of our bird bath the other, at first I thought it was a rat, but thankfully, he has some fur on his tail!