Top Photo: Eastern gray squirrel.

I was walking the outdoor loop as I do each day. In several places along the path from Catch the Wind to Explore the Wild they were singing. Or should I say, calling. Squirrels!

I stopped to watch two of the songsters which happened to be next to the ramp leading to the Black Bear Overlook. They were about thirty feet apart between the diabase wall (the rock you see all around you when in Explore the Wild and along the path elsewhere at the museum) and the boardwalk itself. One was stationed on a boulder, the other on a branch.

Both were making a moaning, whining sound and remained perfectly motionless while doing so. I’ve witnessed gray squirrels calling out before. It usually involves a lot of tail flicking and a few “chuck, chucks” as a lead-in to the whiny stuff. This was different. It was quieter. And like I mentioned, they both remained still the whole time they were vocalizing.

Were the vocalizations courtship? territorial? some kind of warning? were they talking to each other? or were they broadcasting to anyone or anything within earshot?

Gray squirrels make many sounds, or many variations on a few sounds. I haven’t tried to nail down each noise I’ve heard from the oftentimes very tame and certainly abundant (even in urban settings) creature.

I do know, or suspect, that many birds and mammals are specific in their vocalizations. For instance, I believe that blue jays give their well known alarm call when there’s a threat in the area. That alarm call varies according to where the threat is coming from, the ground, the air and perhaps even what it is that is perceived as a threat; dog, cat, human, hawk, owl…

Do squirrels do the same, that is, alter their calls according to what and where a threat is coming from? It makes sense. There was a hawk nearby while the squirrels were vocalizing. It was very clearly perch-hunting, scanning the area below and around its perch for potential food. And, like I said, the squirrels were not moving, even as I approached each individual to within three or four feet. It’s movement that usually gives away the prey’s location, and triggers a strike.

The next time you hear one of these ubiquitous, bushy-tailed, tree-dwelling rodents, stop and give a listen. See if you can figure out just what the squirrel is saying. Is it animated? or rock-steady? are there other squirrels in the area, a hawk, or a cat? What’s going on?

Ranger Greg