Baby squirrel…!

Thu 12th April 2012

Today I saw a baby squirrel being carried in its mother’s mouth! At first I couldn’t make sense of the sight, dreading that the squirrel’s burden would be one of our blackbird’s nestlings.  But no, it was a small upside down mammal – and not a rat, or a sleepy doormouse, but a compliant baby squirrel. By the time I worked this out the mother was away again with her precious load, so no photo I’m afraid!

I have read about squirrel mothers moving their kittens between dreys when danger threatens, or when the nursery drey is destroyed by storms or by tree-felling. Chainsaws have been active in a nearby garden this week, which has maybe given the mother squirrel cause to move house, although the trees chopped seem too small to have hosted a drey.

Squirrels often have several dreys – football-sized nests of twigs, shredded bark and leaves all carefully woven together into a dense weatherproof  ball. Whilst some of these may be adapted magpie nests, the nursery drey is purpose built high in a tree, and in early February is lined with dry leaves and shredded bark, ready for the spring litter of squirrel kittens. There are usually three kittens in a litter and the mother is the sole active parent after mating.

I kept a look out for possible return journeys along the fence, but then it got dark and wet, so I hope the squirrel family were all tucked safe and snug in their new quarters by then!