Red squirrels mate while the fresh winds and warm sun of spring slowly melt
the boreal forest's carpet of snow. Zipping through trees overhead and racing
across the forest floor, they chase intruders and potential mates in what we
see as games of high-speed tag.
Female red squirrels allow males onto their territories for only one day
during a breeding season that starts as early as late March and ends in mid-
May. On mating day, their scent attracts a group of males, and females mate
with one or more suitors before banishing them once again to their own
territories.
About a month after mating, female red squirrels give birth to three or four
young. Like red squirrels throughout most of Canada, Yukon females
produce a single litter each year. Pink and naked, the newborn squirrels
depend entirely on their mothers for food and protection. Within a month the
young are covered in fine fur, their eyes are open and their teeth have
erupted. Although weaned in June or July, at about fifty days of age, young
squirrels will remain with their mothers until August.
More carnivorous than other species of squirrels, red squirrels take
advantage of the summer season to eat insect larvae, wasps, bird eggs and
young birds.
The red squirrel is most active in the cool hours after dawn and before dusk,
and spends 80% of its time searching for, collecting, and eating food. At
midday, it takes a rest, often soaking up some sun on a log or branch.
Careful to "freeze" when a hawk flies over, it races up a tree to taunt any
earthbound hunter that appears. Predators of this bushy-tailed tree-dweller
include goshawks, northern harriers, red-tailed hawks, kestrels, northern
hawk-owls, great-horned owls, lynx, coyotes, wol-ves, ermine, marten-, and
fishers.
When winter's white cloak settles over the boreal forest, the red squirrel
slows down to conserve energy. Cold temperatures and decreasing daylight
have a negative effect on activity levels, with the squirrel leaving its nest
only around midday.
During cold snaps, red squirrels abandon tree nests and burrow into their
middens beneath the snow's insulating layer. Snug in their food cache with
cones close at hand, they await warmer weather's return.
When you're in squirrel country, you will hear about it. Listen for the red
squirrel's scolding chatter, then search the treetops for its jerky movements
and twitching tail. If you stay still, it may even check you out -- especially
your lunch!
Wolfie
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