SCOTT SHALAWAY Pugnacious red squirrels bicker with entire forest

A walk through an evergreen forest of pines, spruces, firs, or hemlocks soothes the soul. A blanket of snow atop a bed of fallen needles cushion the feet. Wind whispers through the limber branches with the refreshing fragrant aroma of a coniferous woodlot.
Invariably, though, just as I begin to think deep thoughts, the quiet is broken by a loud staccato chatter. Years ago, the first time I heard it, I thought it was a bird. But it was too insistent and lasted too long.
When I scanned the branches for the singer of the unsettling sound, I found the source.
It was a red squirrel, six ounces of vociferous orneriness. It's no wonder that, save for mating, red squirrels lead rather solitary lives. They constantly bicker among themselves, with larger gray and fox squirrels, with blue jays, and any other creature that dares to venture into their territories. Red squirrels make up for what they lack in size with pure pugnacity.
Smallest tree squirrel
About twice the size of a chipmunk and half the size of a gray squirrel, the red squirrel is the smallest tree squirrel in North America. In winter, its reddish pelage is obvious, with tufts of hair on the tips of the ears visible. In the summer the fur turns grayer, and the tufts disappear.
Though mature coniferous forests of white pine and hemlock are the red squirrel's preferred habitat, it also occurs in mixed woods and even pure deciduous stands.
What they eat
Favorite foods include the seeds of evergreen cones, acorns, walnuts, hickory nuts, beech nuts, hazelnuts, fruits, buds, insects, and mushrooms, including species that are poisonous to other animals. From April through August, red squirrels turn carnivorous -- they love song bird eggs and nestlings.
Red squirrels are active year-round. Like other squirrels, they forage madly in the fall, but unlike other species, reds store their food in large caches called middens.
The larder may be at the base of a tree, in a natural tree cavity, or underground. Typically, a midden is dark, damp, and low in oxygen, preventing germination while preserving nutritional value.
Stores several bushels
Over the course of several years, a red squirrel may store several bushels of food. Without middens, reds could not survive some winters. Trees do not produce the same amount of mast each year, so by storing large quantities of food, red squirrels can survive years of complete mast failure.
In February, red squirrels pair briefly and promiscuously. Males mate with as many females as will have them.
Sexes part ways
After mating, the sexes part. The female raises the litter alone in a natural tree cavity, bird house, or leaf nest. After a pregnancy of 35 to 38 days, four or five pups are born. Their eyes don't open until they are about 30 days old, and weaning occurs about 10 weeks after birth. In southern parts of their range, red squirrels raise a second litter in late summer.
Like flying squirrels, gray squirrels, and fox squirrels, red squirrels sometimes get into attics and set up housekeeping. After capturing squirrels with live traps, seal all possible entry holes and trim trees so that no branches come within ten feet of the roof.
You might also keep them out of the house by providing alternate shelter. A squirrel box measures 8 to10 inches square and 12 to 16 inches high. Cut a 3-inch hole at the top of one of the sides. Position the hole so that it is near the trunk of the tree. Then hang the nest box 10 to 15 feet above the ground. If their are squirrels in the neighborhood, a nest box won't go unoccupied for long.
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