Indian Plums, Snickering Squirrel and the Elusive Northern Flicker

When I photographed the flowers of the Indian Plum earlier this spring I read that one rarely sees the fruit since it is a favorite food for wild birds. This is not surprising since it comes so early - right now there are no other wild fruits or berries to eat. I can also see why it is not a part of our diet - these lovely little fruits are only about the size of a pea. Shortly after photographing these I noticed the squirrel on the left below.

Why do I think the squirrel is snickering? I suspect it is because he knows I will fail once again to get a good clear photo of the Northern Flicker (Colaptes auratus) (right). I have dozens of photos of parts of Northern Flickers. They are very shy and have an unerring sense of anyone watching them. They always manage to be partly hidden behind the trunk of a tree or a branch as in this photo and seldom perch for long in a wholly unobstructed fashion.

I might not be so obsessed with Northern Flickers if it were not for the tiny hearts that cover their breasts. (Click the photo to enlarge it and you will see what I mean.)

Gray Squirrel

The bird seed I put out yesterday attracted this fellow as well as the Dark-eyed Juncos. There appear to be a couple of different kinds of gray squirrels (the Eastern Gray Squirrel and the Western Gray Squirrel). But the "eastern" ones don't stay in the east - in fact a lot of them (or their great-great-great-grandparents) have moved out west and are considered as interlopers. And some of the "gray" squirrels are black so it would seem that it might be time to consider renaming the various types according to characteristics that meaningfully distinguish them.

New Neighbor

I've recently moved and one of many new benefits I'm enjoying is a window into the lives of a squirrel family (of at least three members). This photo was taken from inside my new suite. The squirrel family has been enjoying the seed log I put out for the birds. This a Western Gray Squirrel (Sciurus griseus).

Columbian Ground Squirrel (Urocitellus columbianus)

Here's another member of the local wildlife set here in the Similkameen Valley. This is a Columbian Ground Squirrel (Urocitellus columbianus), photographed in a small river valley that empties into the Similkameen River, called the Ashnola. These little ground squirrels are quite commonly seen keeping watch along the roadsides and whistling warnings to other nearby squirrels of anything unusual or dangerous.

Look Carefully....

Almost lost amidst the blaze of autumn leaves, this Douglas Squirrel (Tamiasciurus douglasii) pulled my eyes away from the abundant mushrooms near the trail around Matheson Lake. While I am quite familiar with the local Black and Grey Squirrels that live comfortably in our urban areas, I don't remember seeing a Douglas Squirrel before and I am happy to add this one to the roster of local indigenous animals that I have recorded here.

Black Squirrel

I mentioned in an earlier post about the slightly confusing nomenclature of local squirrels and that some of the "gray" squirrels are black. Here's one and if I understand correctly, because he's black and living in the west we can safely assume he's an Eastern Gray Squirrel.

Yellow Bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris)

Here's a close relative of the ground squirrel featured in a recent post, the Yellow Bellied Marmot (Marmota flaviventris). This one was living on a rock slope with numerous family and friends and there were several Columbian Ground Squirrels living there too. This photograph was taken on a spectacular trip above the Similkameen Valley near the Apex Mountain Ski Resort. I have now returned to Victoria but will share a few more of my holiday pictures over the next few days.

Employee of the Month

I noticed that the birds were behaving irresponsibly with the feeder, eating recklessly and dropping a lot of perfectly good seeds on the ground so hired this squirrel to clean up the mess.