looduskalender.ee

Photo: Arne Ader

Translation: Liis

The temporary snow cover and the hard winds coming with the thaw have turned forests and parks transparent. Nothing gets squirrels out of their nests in rain and sleet; they can hole up in the nest for several days. In autumn they have fed well, after several years there are again enough spruce cones in the forest. Squirrels can be seen moving about in beautiful sunny autumn weather; a little before noon they are quite active.

 

They wear the greyish winter fur now, and the ear tufts stand up proudly. Where to look for squirrel nests? In parks, cemeteries and deciduous forests the nest most likely is in a tree hollow, in conifer forests however an interwoven structure close to the trunk. In both forest types they modify birds’ nests to suit their needs. Some years ago after a storm I found such a nest that had fallen down under a birch – what then showed that it was a squirrel’s nest? The construction was very well lined with moss, birds don’t do this in winter and of course the hairs were revealing. Squirrels own and use several nests. Why do they change nests? The main trouble is that fleas tend to be a plague; in a nest that has been empty for some time they are definitely fewer.

 

A large part of the winter stocks had been collected already before the last snow cover arrived but something from trees or under trees still needs to be stored. No need to be particularly surprised if squirrels after burying something edible between tree roots munch on something from the paws – soil is rich in minerals and necessary for the organism.