Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
It seems that when squirrels develop what resembles a white cotton puff on the backs of their ears, it indicates a hard winter. But this year, they are displaying a variety: some have the 'cotton puffs,' some have none, and some go half and half, with one ear furnished and the other bare.
Speaking of squirrels, I am really saddened by the # of squirrels I see as roadkill on some of the streets around me. Particularly this one street. It's un-busy enough to not intimidate squirrels from crossing it that much, but it's also busy enough that a good chunk of those squirrels get hit. There was a 2-week stretch back in the spring where I saw 5 or 6 squirrels flattened in about a 10-block section of the road. And typically I usually see probably 1 or so every couple weeks. Occasionally I see a squirrel crossing that road via the overhead power lines (I guess those are the smarter squirrels) but most don't do that.
I can see people running over raccoons and opossums because those are nocturnal and it's harder to see them at night, but squirrels are diurnal and you should be able to see them easily during the day. I've had a couple instances where I've gone on a coffee run late in the morning, and gone by some spot on my way there with no dead squirrel, but on my way back past the same spot 15 minutes later there's a dead squirrel. It gets me so pissed off all these people driving fast down that street paying little or no attention to anything on the side of the road that might cross in front of them.
I've often wished I could buy a house along that road so that I could put up a big sign that says, "PLEASE WATCH FOR SQUIRRELS CROSSING THIS ROAD!! GIVE THE LITTLE GUYS A BRAKE!!" or something like that.
Squirrels can be a lot like rabbits. "I'm crossing the road. OMG there's a car! I'm not crossing the...yes I am...no I'm not....I'm crossing...turning around...run for safety...no wait...go back the other way...." Splat.
You don't have to be driving fast to hit an animal. We can do our best to guess at what they're going to do but when they don't know what they're doing one second to the nest, it's tough.
Squirrels can be a lot like rabbits. "I'm crossing the road. OMG there's a car! I'm not crossing the...yes I am...no I'm not....I'm crossing...turning around...run for safety...no wait...go back the other way...." Splat.
You don't have to be driving fast to hit an animal. We can do our best to guess at what they're going to do but when they don't know what they're doing one second to the nest, it's tough.
Exactly this happened to me with a bunny. I swerved to avoid it and it turned back and I ran right over it and felt awful. I hoped it provided food for the bald eagles that live nearby, so at least it wouldn't be a totally senseless death.
Well, today the property behind mine with at least 5 dead trees, which in the morning, my regulars would sit and wait and watch for me to come out with their breakfast, a tree removal company came and took them all down. The hawk would sit and watch for its breakfast too (a nice fat mourning dove?).
I felt mixed emotions about it. On the one hand, it will improve the neighborhood to clean up that property, but I did enjoy seeing the birds. Now where will they go?
unfortunately, squirrels and rabbits tend to use a zigzag kind of run - works great with birds of prey, not so great with cars.
Filled up the bird feeder this AM, about a quart, gone in an hour and a half (blue jays). Gonna try a different feeder tomorrow, not really hopeful that it will stop the jays, but it will be fun seeing if it stumps them a little. It's meant to be squirrel proof. Squirrels haven't been a bother so far this winter, or at all last winter.
Exactly this happened to me with a bunny. I swerved to avoid it and it turned back and I ran right over it and felt awful. I hoped it provided food for the bald eagles that live nearby, so at least it wouldn't be a totally senseless death.
I often see a couple of vultures in my neighborhood. They'll get a meal sooner or later.
I often wonder about vultures getting the dead squirrels. I do see vultures circling over my neighborhood quite often, but have never seen one come down and scoop up a dead animal. Though, on occasion I'll see a dead squirrel in the road, and then, like, the next day it's gone, and I wonder if a vulture got it, or did a neighboring homeowner clean it up?
Squirrels can be a lot like rabbits. "I'm crossing the road. OMG there's a car! I'm not crossing the...yes I am...no I'm not....I'm crossing...turning around...run for safety...no wait...go back the other way...." Splat.
You don't have to be driving fast to hit an animal. We can do our best to guess at what they're going to do but when they don't know what they're doing one second to the nest, it's tough.
It seems that every time I see a confused squirrel near the edge of the road there's a car right behind me.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
Particularly this one street. It's un-busy enough to not intimidate squirrels from crossing it that much, but it's also busy enough that a good chunk of those squirrels get hit. There was a 2-week stretch back in the spring where I saw 5 or 6 squirrels flattened in about a 10-block section of the road. And typically I usually see probably 1 or so every couple weeks. 
Occasionally I see a squirrel crossing that road via the overhead power lines (I guess those are the smarter squirrels) but most don't do that.
