Wildlife Enhancement on Prince Edward Island
The Squirrels

There are three species of squirrel native to Prince Edward Island. All three are quite common, though the red squirrel is easiest to spot, since it is active during the daytime throughout the year. Each species of squirrel has its own niche and its own charm.

Red squirrel. Photo by Beth Hoar.

The common red squirrel is the largest of our squirrels, with a long-tail and fur that is dark above and light below. In winter the rusty colour seems very bright, while in the summer the colour darkens noticeably. It is one of our best-known mammals, whether it is raiding bird feeders for sunflower seeds and peanuts, or in the woods scolding visitors. What's a walk in an Island forest without meeting a red squirrel high above on a branch, stamping its foot and trying to drive you out of its territory. They really make the woods seem alive. While this might seem like aggression, they are just as likely to come down and bum some food if you happen to be eating a cookie or peanuts.

Though ideally suited for forest life, being quick, agile climbers, red squirrels can be nuisances around homes. They think nothing of using an attic for a den, or digging holes under your house to store winter food. Red squirrels are very adaptable, at home in coniferous forests but able to thrive just about anywhere. They prefer to nest in tree cavities but will sometimes live in rotted stumps or piles of stones.

Red squirrels are known as seed and nut eaters - everything from balsam fir seeds to beaked hazelnuts and acorns. They will also eat insects, fruit, fungi and birds eggs, and spend much of their time storing food. In good years, they put away far more than they can eat, spreading seed throughout a wide area.

Of our native squirrels, the red squirrel has been most successful at adapting to the changes in the Island landscape. While they are an integral part of Island forests, they seem well able to survive. Some seed bearing trees and a place to den meets most of their needs.

Flying squirrel. Photo by Gary Schneider.

The northern flying squirrel is the most secretive of our squirrels - since its nocturnal, most people never get to see one. It is worth making the effort to get to know these charming mammals. The best way to get a look at them is by having bird feeders. If you have a sunflower seed feeder that is near your window, perhaps at night you can hear the feeder knocking against the pane when it isn't windy outside. Without turning on the lights in the house, walk over to the window, and chances are there will be a flying squirrel. When it glides over to the feeder, it bangs against the glass. You can shine a light out and get a great look at one of our lesser-known treasures. Flying squirrels are about the same size as red squirrels, with large, reflective black eyes for better night vision. The colouring is duller than a red squirrel and you will be able to see the extra flap of skin on each side. Although they don't fly, these squirrels use these elastic membranes to glide from a higher level to a lower one.

Flying squirrels live among coniferous trees, making their homes from 1 to 10 m (3.3-33') above the ground. They are opportunistic, often taking over abandoned woodpecker cavities as well as old red squirrel or blue jay nests. The interior nests are preferred for winter living and bearing young, while the exterior nests are favoured in the summer. Like the red squirrel, flying squirrels do not hibernate and are active all year long.

During summer, food is abundant and their varied diet includes such things as insects, carrion and the occasional bird egg. In the fall, however, they concentrate on storing winter supplies of coniferous seeds and mushrooms. In spring, they feast on the buds of aspen, alder and pussy willow.

Large coniferous trees, even those old ones in a hedgerow, are great places for flying squirrels, providing both food and places to overwinter. Making sure that there are spring plants for buds will help ease the transition from winter to summer. As they do with with much of our smaller wildlife, cats extract a large toll on the flying squirrel population. It is not uncommon to see a tail near your house if you have cats that go outside.

Eastern chipmunk. Photo by Beth Hoar.

The eastern chipmunk has a similar silhouette to the red squirrel, except for its tail, which is only a third as long its body. The light brown body, striped on the back by five black lines, is about half the size of a red squirrel. Due to the small size and quickness, chipmunks have a more harried manner.

Chipmunks often live at the edges of woodlands, in areas dry enough to make digging an easy task. They live in burrows with entrance tunnels up to 3 metres (3.3') long. For this reason, they are sometimes called ground squirrels, since they not only store food underground but live there as well.

The diet of a chipmunk varies througout the year. During summer, they eat a wide range of fruit, including raspberries, chokecherries and blueberries. They also eat frogs, insects and occasionally bird eggs. In the fall, they concentrate on nuts and seeds, particularly those of beech, beaked hazelnut and oak. Chipmunks are known for their ability to carry large amounts of seeds and nuts at once in very puffed-out cheeks. The food stores are essential to survival through the winter and spring until a new season's food becomes available. Chipmunks are the only one of our squirrels to have a form of hibernation during the winter months, waking often to feed on the summer stores in the sleep chamber.

Chipmunks enjoy some benefit from land clearing, as they tend to live on the edges of forests. On the other hand, as more houses are built in rural areas, they become easy prey for cats. They can be pests in gardens, but have a fairly large range and so are not usually present in large enough numbers to cause serious problems. Planting red oak, beaked hazelnut and American beech will provide welcome food sources for chipmunks.

The Macphail Woods Ecological Forestry Project, a member of the Island Sustainable Forest Partnership Cooperative with assistance from Natural Resources Canada, the Canadian Forest Service and the Model Forest Program have put together this series of information sheets concerning Wildlife Enhancement on Prince Edward Island. Thanks to Beth Hoar from GreenThumb Photography. Web development and maintenance by Chris Martin.